Only Hope
by BROE4EVER1
Summary: A completed Broe fic based on A Walk to Remember
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
 If you ever happen to visit Salem U.S.A., take a close look around. You probably won't find much there, it's one of those small towns where everybody knows everybody. But, if you have the time and want to see something truly special, visit the town cemetery. Hidden away in a corner in the center of a circle of tall weeping willows, you will find two stone monuments. The first is of an angel, her head tilted to the sky, wings ready for flight. Her gray curls tumble to her waist, her hands in such a position as if she were in eternal prayer. Looking a little to the left of her, you will find the second stone monument. It is an intricate statue of a young man, kneeling on one knee, his eyes averted in an everlasting gaze on the tallest willow tree in the ring surrounding him. If you decide that perhaps you would like to know what it is that this stone man finds so interesting, follow his gaze to the tree. If you peer closely at the old, faded bark crumbling from the trunk, a deeply carved heart will be visible. In it's small interior, there rests the smallest indication of the truly amazing thing that is about to unfold before your eyes. In the center of the heart, there lie the initials B.B. and C.W., and beneath them a tiny word that you can hardly see, so faded and rotted the bark has become. But if you look hard enough you should be able to read what was so neatly carved into the bark forty years earlier. Forever.  
  
 And that's what this story is about, forever. Forever is quite a long time, and it may seem like an eternity, because in all honesty forever and eternity are the exact same thing. I have once read a very good definition of eternity; it went a little something like this:  
  
"If there is a mountain a mile high, and once every ten thousand years, a bird flies by and brushes it with a feather, by the time that mountain is worn to the ground, but a hundredth of a second has gone by in the context of eternity."  
  
The tale I am about to tell you, and the story of true love that it contains fits this definition so perfectly that I often wonder if they were written for each other. Yet, one can never be too sure in a world like our own, when we only see what happens before us and for all we know, there could be a great battle in a neighboring country and we would be completely oblivious to it. Yet, I am obliged to tell you of this story, though it happened before my time. If you choose to set your gaze back to the two stone monuments in the middle of the ring of willow trees hidden in a far off corner in the town cemetery of Salem U.S.A., look down by the bases of these two pieces of carved stone. Slightly overgrown with blades of soft green grass is a marble plaque, a headstone. On it are carved the names of two of the most amazing people I have ever known in my life.  
  
"Chloe Wesley Black- Loving wife and darling mother, a kindred spirit that has brought light to all the lives she has touched. 1942-1999"  
  
"Brady Victor Black- Caring husband and lovable father, a strong man who could brighten the day of any melancholy soul. 1941-2001"  
  
This is what is engraved on the marble headstone that rests peacefully in the soft ground in the quiet cemetery. And, looking back on the two people whom they represent, I find that it is finally time to put this pen to paper. If you ask anyone above the age of fifty in this small tranquil town, then perhaps they can relate to you the events that have taken place some forty years ago. They should be able to tell you of the great love that swept two unsuspecting people into its powerful grasp and changed perhaps everyone in that town when it did. It just goes to show you how significant a life can be, or in this case, two lives. It just goes to show you that there really can be a Romeo and Juliette in modern day history, yet perhaps lacking the tragic ending that makes everyone cry when they happen to come across it in a book or even on television.  
  
 So, on this sunny day, as I sit leaned up against a tall weeping willow, looking across the few feet of grass at the two stone statues in mid- August, their story can finally be told. 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
  
 She sat quietly on the couch, watching as her father fiddled with his reading glasses while he read the paper. She tilted her head to the side, admiring the way his forehead crinkled when he was in deep thought. A lock of her deep brown hair hung loosely over her shoulder, curling ever so slightly. She sub-consciously twirled the piece around her finger, a soft smile brightening her features. This was Chloe Wesley. She lived alone with her father Craig Wesley in a small two-story home located deep in the heart of Salem. Yet Salem was not then what it is today. It was quieter, and there were not so many cars and buses crowding the streets. Chloe's twin brother Shawn Douglas had left Salem for one year, his mother having requested that she spend some time with him. Chloe had received no such invitation to visit a chic apartment in New York where Nancy Lane lived happily and quite wealthily with her third husband Eric. Yet it didn't bother her too much. She enjoyed living with her father, and he was really the only parent she had ever known. 'It's her loss' Craig had always told her as he stroked her hair, 'No woman in her right mind would give up two beautiful children'. Chloe got by on her father's undying love and her strong belief in God. She attended church every Sunday like any ordinary Christian, and at that time, that pretty much covered the whole town. She was pretty quiet and soft-spoken; her hair was always worn in a low ponytail that flowed gently to her mid-back. She didn't dress 'hip' like the other girls, instead she dressed plainly, usually a pair of overalls or a skirt that reached her knees. In 1959, most girls were still thoroughly enjoying the new outfits that were out, giving them a chance to expose their flat stomachs or their long legs. Had Chloe thrown on one of those outfits, she probably would have fit in quite nicely with the other girls, perhaps even surpassed all of them in a contest of beauty. But at age 17, she was different from all the other girls, and clothes were certainly the last things on her mind during that time in her life.  
  
"Daddy?"  
  
Craig looked up abruptly when he heard the soft voice of his beloved daughter. He looked at her, then smiled softly.  
  
"What is it pumpkin?"  
  
"When's Shawn coming back? I miss him."  
  
Craig glanced at the calendar that hung by a small brass hook beside the window and counted the days to the marked date, the day when his son would finally be back home again. Then he looked back at Chloe, who was waiting impatiently for an answer.  
  
"Not for another three months honey." He said slowly, the note of disappointment apparent in his voice.  
  
"Oh," was all that Chloe had the heart to say. She missed her brother; he was really the only friend that she had in this world. She was nice to everyone at school, but it was apparent even to Chloe that they didn't like her very much and even spread rumors about her behind her back. Yet, they had never really bothered her too much, she didn't care what other's thought. God had given her life to do with what she pleased, and that was exactly what she planned on doing, no matter what the other teens of Salem thought or said.  
  
   
  
She would face them all yet again in two days, when her weekend was over. For now, she still had church to look forward to, and she sang with the church choir, though very small at that time. The reverend had given her lead vocals, and sometimes she would get a chance to sing as a soloist as he was so impressed with her singing voice. Chloe sighed and sank back comfortably in her chair.  
  
Her father had resumed reading the newspapers, obviously transfixed by one of the headings she assumed.  
  
 She looked around the room, trying to find something to do. Her gaze fell upon the quaint photo album lying on the coffee table. She picked it up, the cover bound in leather felt soft against her fingertips. Standing up and smoothing out the skirt she was wearing, Chloe walked outside onto the front porch and sat down in one of the three wicker chairs that sat in a circle on the whitewashed floorboards of the wrap-around porch. She opened the book and looked over the collection of photographs on the first page. They were baby pictures of herself and her brother between the ages of six months and two years. The smile returned to her face as she looked over the two toddlers giving almost toothless grins to the photographer, who was undoubtedly her father or perhaps even her mother as she had stayed with Craig for three years after she had bore their children. Her smile left her face when she thought of her mother. Her mother was not someone that she liked to think about too often. Yet it was a fact of life that that Nancy Lance, as potentially evil as she could be, was still her mother, and because of that pleasant fact held a place, no matter how small, in Chloe's heart. She was quickly pulled from her thoughts when she heard the clomping of a few pairs of feet walking down the sidewalk in front of her house.  
  
 The group consisted of two junior cheerleaders, Belle and Mimi; one very popular guy named Phillip in his senior year and another one, Brady Black. Chloe remembered him as being the kid they had initiated into their high society reign at Salem High about six months earlier. Chloe closed the album and set it down in the chair beside that in which she sat. She stood up and walked to the edge of her porch, her skirt and hair blowing out to the side of her from the warm September breeze. She watched the kids walk by slowly, laughing and making light, bubbly conversation. She had known all of them since kindergarten, they had all gone to the same schools, and Chloe had been in almost every class that Mimi and Belle had been in. Chloe kept her eyes on the group, and eventually Brady turned his head to meet her eyes. The other three members of the group turned their heads too. Chloe smiled warmly at them as a greeting. Mimi and Belle waved and then started giggling madly before they took off running down the street. Phillip went off immediately after them, but Brady kept his gaze steady on Chloe. Then he shrugged and he too followed off down the street. Chloe sighed deeply. Then she shrugged her shoulders and picked up the album whose pages were flipping endlessly in the late summer wind and walked quietly back into the house.  
  
 Setting the album down on a top shelf in the closet, she walked back into the living room. Her father was sitting quietly at the table, writing his latest article for the paper. That's what he did, Craig Wesley I mean, he wrote for the Salem Times.  
  
 "Daddy, I'm going to make dinner now ok?" She said softly, taking out a pan from the cupboard and turning up the heat on the small over that lay in the corner of the kitchen. Craig gave a slight nod, keeping his eyes on his work, while Chloe took the necessary goods out of the refrigerator. 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
 Brady Black hobbled noisily down the street with his group of friends. Usually Jason would be with them, but today he got caught by his dad before he had a chance to come out to meet them and was now slaving away at home, washing his dad's car.  
  
Phillip was laughing about something, Belle hanging all over him.  
  
"Chloe Wesley, man we sure dodged a boring bullet. I'm sure she would have invited all of us up onto her porch for lemonade and bible talk."  
  
Brady guffawed loudly with the rest of them at the remark. Chloe was known for being quite the religious one. But he had to admit that in church, she did have a really nice voice. Even he could give her credit for that. She had always been the quiet, shy one since the first day they had met thirteen years earlier when Belle, who lived just next door to him, had brought her home from school. That was about the only time Chloe was ever invited anywhere, after that she was pretty much ignored. Brady, on the other hand, had had a steady climb to the most popular group at Salem High. The girls all fawned over him, and he played on the football team. What more could he ask? Nothing really. At least, nothing that a high school jock with pretty cheerleaders around him all the time could possibly want. He had it all; a nice house, money, two parents and popularity. Compared to Chloe, he was a celebrity, and she was a lonely girl with nothing much. But his thoughts were not lavished too much on Chloe at this point.  
  
 Right now, all he could think of was the play that the junior drama class was going to give in about one month's time. He, along with his friends, all planned on going. It would be a good laugh. Besides, he had also heard that Chloe (amazingly his thoughts return yet again on this young woman shunned for no good reason by all teens yet loved by all the adults) had a part in this play as well, apparently somewhere in the context of a lead role. Being the amazing vocalist that she was, her character was written to sing a song to the lead actor in the play. The concept made his friends howl, but he sort of liked the sound of her voice. It was quite soothing. He spoke from experience.  
  
When he had broken his arm in the sixth grade, a concerned Chloe had come to comfort him until a ride was arranged to take him to the hospital. She had spoken with such a soft voice that the pain had melted away. It was a strange feeling to have when someone spoke to you, and he wondered if he was the only one. See no one could be too rude to Chloe in person without taking a major guilt trip because she had been so nice to them for so long. Instead, they did it behind her back. They knew what they did was wrong, they just did anyway. It was in their nature.  
  
 Now Brady fell into step with Mimi who was batting her eyelashes up at him.  
  
"What are you doing tonight huh?" She asked, smiling sweetly up at him.  
  
"Ah, I dunno. Stuff."  
  
"Let's all go catch a movie at the drive in." Phillip broke in, Belle's arm intertwined with his own.  
  
"That's a great idea!" Belle chimed, giving her blonde hair an enthusiastic toss and smiling widely.  
  
Brady shrugged his shoulders and looked down at Mimi who was practically groveling at his feet.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
Mimi jumped up and smiled, clapping her hands together.  
  
"Great. It's a date then?"  
  
Brady made a face, then thought 'what the heck' and nodded in agreement.  
  
 They all made their way to the drive in that night and saw "The Blob", although Brady thought it was the stupidest movie he had ever seen. Mimi seemed to be scared right out of her socks, and if she wasn't she was acting pretty good cause she was clinging to him like a wet T-shirt. Phillip appeared to be getting a little bit bored as well, though with Belle pushing herself up against him like that Brady thought for sure he was getting claustrophobic too.  
  
Brady turned his eyes back to Mimi.  
  
"Say Meems, I'm just gonna step out for some air ok? I'll be back soon."  
  
"Do you want me to come with you?"  
  
"Um, no. That's okay."  
  
He opened the car door slowly and stepped out, stretching his legs a little. Then he set off, walking around the parking lot full of cars and crazy teens. The drive-in was located at the top of a cliff that people named 'Lookout Point' because during the war, many jet pilots had gone there to run through obstacles and were often flying so low that their planes brushed the bushes lining the edge of the cliff. This caused people who were occupying the surface of the cliff to constantly yell 'Look out!' as they flew by, thus the name Lookout Point.  
  
 Brady walked to the edge of that very cliff and looked down its rocky slope. He had a clear view of the town cemetery from where he stood, and he could make out the dark silhouette of a woman sitting on a tombstone, swinging her legs. Brady glanced down at the watch on his wrist. It was ten thirty. What kind of a woman would walk into the middle of a cemetery in almost complete darkness? He peered yet again at the figure of the woman. She had a flashlight in her hand and was flicking it on and off, lighting up the patch of willow trees in the corner of the cemetery. He glanced back at the car he had just left and saw Mimi popping her head out the window, obviously searching for him. He rolled his eyes and decided to go down and check out the mysterious woman in the cemetery before heading back to Phillip's car.  
  
 He took a path down the side of the cliff, marked out clearly for people who couldn't just drive their cars up the road. Reaching the bottom, he walked silently to the black wrought iron gates of the cemetery. He opened one slowly, a creaking sound protruding from its rusty hinges. The moonlight illuminated most of the landscape, making it easy for him to see the moving figure sitting about sixty yards from where he stood. He was finally able to make out who it was, sitting there. As it turns out it was Chloe, quite unaware of the fact that she was sitting in a cemetery in the dark, where zombies could stick their hands out of the dirt and pull her under in no time at all.  
  
 Brady walked slowly to where she sat perched on the tombstone marked "Hemsby." He decided that this was the perfect opportunity to scare her. He slunk slowly up behind her, and just as he got close enough he poked her in the back. Chloe didn't even flinch.  
  
"Hello Brady." She said, without even turning around.  
  
"How'd you know it was me?"  
  
"I have eyes you know. I saw you coming down from Lookout Point."  
  
"Oh."  
  
 Brady took a seat on a tombstone beside her. Chloe finally turned her head and met his gaze. Brady could see redness around her eyes. She'd been crying. He decided to stop that thought right there. He didn't want to ask her about it for fear of upsetting her again, so he tried a more subtle approach.  
  
"What are you doing here?" He asked curiously, mimicking the way she swung her legs back and forth.  
  
"I'm just working on this star chart." She held up a sketchbook opened to a page where she had obviously been mapping out the stars.  
  
"Oh…" Brady said, pretending to be interested. "How come?"  
  
"It's for my science project."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Chloe looked at him for a moment, appearing as though she was waiting for him to continue, then shrugged her shoulders and looked up again at the sky, drawing a new star onto her chart.  
  
"Um, that's really good Chloe." He tried to sound nice. "But I think I should probably head back now."  
  
"Ok." Chloe nodded her head. "I guess I'll see you in church tomorrow?"  
  
"I guess."  
  
And with that, Brady left Chloe sitting on her tombstone, working away on her star chart. As he reached the pathway up to the drive in, he turned to see if Chloe was still working on her project or maybe even staring after him. But her back was turned, her star chart placed neatly on the ground by her feet. And as he got farther away, he swore he heard a muffled sob coming from the direction of the cemetery. 


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
   
  
"Dear Shawn,  
  
I am so anxious for your return! It gets so lonely around here without you. There's daddy, but he always needs to put aside half of his day to write his articles for the paper. Are you having a good time in New York? I wonder has mother changed any? I have not seen her for fourteen years. Perhaps that is a blessing from god. Or perhaps it is not, what do you think? Still three months until you return! That is too long for a sister to wait. If you feel any need to return before your time in New York with out mother is up, do so please! I expect it can't be as nice a place to live than here in Salem? You may enjoy the pleasures of our wealthy mother and her damn husband (sorry to use such harsh language in the face of god) but the simple life here with us is more practical…is it not?  
  
Well, I hope you are doing well. I know not if you will even receive this letter or if mother will rip it up as soon as she takes it out of the mailbox. I already know that she favors you to me. But if you do receive it, write back soon, please?  
  
Your anxious sister,  
  
Chloe."  
  
 Chloe set down her pen and looked over the letter written in her fine hand. She smiled in satisfaction and folded it neatly, placing it inside her pre-addressed envelope and sealing it. She was finally going to have contact with her brother. Her mother had forbidden that Chloe and her father call them for fear of long distance charges, but really, how ironic it was that Nancy should be the one worried about vast expenditures when her wardrobe augmented by ten articles of clothing each day. Chloe laughed out loud at the thought. Her mother was a strange woman, she would admit that.  
  
"What's so funny pumpkin?"  
  
Chloe turned her head towards the kitchen table where her father sat drinking his morning coffee, the smile still on her face.  
  
"Oh nothing…" She said, picking up the envelope and taking a seat beside Craig.  
  
"Is it alright if I take this to the post office?" She asked, waving the letter in the air.  
  
Craig eyed the letter curiously and read the address.  
  
"This is to Shawn?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well it's not going to get as far as New York."  
  
"How come?" Chloe asked, disappointed. Craig chuckled lightly and shook his head. Then he pointed to the top right hand corner of the envelope.  
  
"No stamp, hun."  
  
"Oh." Chloe said, starting to giggle a little bit. "Silly me!"  
  
"There's some on the desk in the den."  
  
Chloe nodded her head, and upon gathering her needed stamps, she headed outside to the post office. It was only just down the street from her house.  
  
 As she got closer to it, she recognized the group she had seen walk by her house the day before sitting and chatting on the steps. Except today, there was a new addition, Jason, whom I guess was all done working on his dearest daddy's car and got the day off. She walked up to the steps slowly. She didn't really have reason to greet them, but since Brady had been so nice as to keep her company for a few minutes in the cemetery the night before, she decided to take a stab at it. She started to climb the steps slowly, and felt all five pairs of eyes go on her. She stopped and turned her head to look at them. Then, she tried a smile.  
  
"Hello Brady." She said, and with that, she left them sitting there laughing on the steps as she stepped into the post office.  
  
 Brady stared after her with the rest of the gang, but didn't laugh it up after she had gone inside. She wasn't all that bad, but unfortunately, like many others, she was hit by one of the many bullets of hatred that flew around the schools of Salem each day. He sort of felt sorry for her, but not really. This was Chloe, the same Chloe he had known all of his life. They didn't really have much in common, in fact no one really had much in common with her. He turned back to his friends who were still battling the last remains of their fit of laughter.  
  
"Hello Brady." Phillip said in a sing-songy voice. Brady rolled his eyes.  
  
"Come off it. She was only being polite."  
  
"Notice how she was only being polite to you?" Mimi broke in, touching his arm. "Well she should know you're already taken." She finished, smiling up at him.  
  
'Oh god' Brady thought, looking down at Mimi. What had he gone and gotten himself into now? This girl was a lunatic.  
  
He looked up again when he heard the glass door of the post office open once again. Chloe stepped back into the sunlight having apparently mailed her letter and started down the steps again.  
  
"Oh I just love your outfit!" Belle gushed, looking over Chloe's overalls and light blue T-shirt.  
  
"Thank you." Chloe said sweetly, smiling at the compliment.  
  
"See you later, Chloe." Mimi said, hanging tightly onto Brady's arm and daring Chloe to say something. But Chloe just nodded her head then was off back down the street to her house.  
  
Mimi rolled her eyes after her.  
  
"I guess she gets the picture huh Brady?" She said, turning back towards her supposed 'boyfriend.'  
  
"Hmm?" Brady's eyes broke off the little form of Chloe in the distance.  
  
"Yeah, sure." 


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
 Chloe sat quietly in the cemetery that Sunday after church on her favorite tombstone marked "Hemsby." There was a slight rustle of paper as she looked over her script for the play, reading and re-reading it again and again. This play had to be perfect. She looked over the lyrics to the song she was going to sing. She thought it a rather pretty song actually, and the cemetery was the only place she would sing it, not wanting anyone else to hear. She slipped slowly off the headstone and set the script down where she had set her star chart before. That little patch of grass was still flattened, and a perfect little spot for her to put her lines.  
  
 Chloe skipped happily off to the little ring of willow trees in the corner of the cemetery. She came to the first willow and leaned her shoulder up against it, looking into the small haven inside the protective circle of branches and trunks and leaves. Inside, there was a little stream bubbling up from underneath one of the outgrown roots of a tree. It flowed quickly; making a gurgling noise as it twisted around a few more trees then finally out the cemetery underneath the fence. Chloe often drank from that stream; the water was quite clean coming from somewhere deep in the ground. Some sort of a natural aqueduct she concluded, sitting down beside the little stream with her legs out in front of her. She could hear the rustling of the leaves as the willows made strange shadows on the grass. Then she finally lay down completely, her hand behind her head. She looked up at the bright sky on that Sunday afternoon and smiled.  
  
"I want to be buried here." She said to the trees around her. "It's the single most beautiful place I have ever seen."  
  
 She lay there for a while, and when she finally got up, she felt a sharp pain shoot through her right shoulder. She lifter the sleeve of her T-shirt slowly to reveal a large purplish-blue bruise. She frowned at it. She had gotten a bruise by leaning up against a tree? She sighed deeply, touching it softly with her finger. She winced a little as her finger made contact with the bruised skin.  
  
 "It's starting." She said quietly, rolling her sleeve back down.  
  
 Brady watched her through the long arms of the willow. His friends sat a few feet away from him eating potato chips and chucking a few of them at old grave markers. He couldn't quite make out what it was that she was doing, but he was quite curious. To him it seemed like the cemetery was Chloe's second home. He looked back at his friends, realizing that they wouldn't notice if he were gone for a few minutes. He got up slowly and slunk away to the patch of willows.  
  
 Chloe saw him as he came and kept her eyes on him. He sat down non- chalantly across from her and smiled a half smile. Chloe tilted her head to the side and met his gaze, then smiled back.  
  
"Hello Black." She said in a friendly tone.  
  
Brady nodded. "Chloe."  
  
"What are you doing here?" She asked innocently, letting her eyes wander behind him to where his group of friends ran around throwing things at the grave markers. She rolled her eyes at them.  
  
Brady knew what she was rolling her eyes at without having to look back over his shoulder.  
  
"I guess that's what you were doing." Chloe said slowly.  
  
Brady shrugged.  
  
"It's pretty here isn't it?" She ventured, looking at him expectantly.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"You don't talk very much do you." She finished, sitting up straighter.  
  
"Depends on who you ask."  
  
"Well, I'm asking you."  
  
Brady shrugged again and looked around at the trees. They made patterns on his pant legs.  
  
"Well, if you're not here to talk, then why are you here?"  
  
"Same reason you're here probably."  
  
"I seriously doubt that Brady." She said, shaking her head. This conversation was apparently going nowhere so she got up and started to leave.  
  
"Hang on a second Chloe." Brady said after her, standing up. "I just like the cemetery. You like it here don't you? Well so do I. I think I'll come here at night too and try making a star chart myself."  
  
That seemed to brighten Chloe's dampened spirit and she smiled.  
  
"That would be great! You can come tonight after school and I could show you."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
 "Hey hey! What's going on up here?"  
  
Phillip pushed himself through the branches of a tall willow tree; Mimi, Jason and Belle following close behind. "Black, what are you doing? Charming the poor little lady here?"  
  
Phillip smiled at Chloe. "Maybe we can all triple date some time."  
  
"No way!" Mimi said, rushing up beside Brady. "This is my man!"  
  
"Mimi, Mimi! A little possessive there now aren't we?" Belle said, clicking her tongue. "You can always share Brady with Chloe." She smiled evilly.  
  
"Say, what were you doing up here Chloe? Praying?" Mimi asked, looking her over. She snorted at her choice of clothes.  
  
"If god's so all-mighty and powerful, maybe he could send you some new clothes." Belle said, raising her eyebrows at Chloe.  
  
"I'm afraid that's not possible." Chloe shot back, keeping her voice level. "God is much too busy looking for your brain." She finished, raising her eyebrows back at Belle and grinning.  
  
"Ouch! Burn!" Jason yelled out, howling.  
  
Belle turned on him, seething. "Listen, you're supposed to be on my side here!" She hissed, punching his arm.  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes and took this as her chance to escape this group of rowdy teenagers. As she left, she turned and walked backwards to face the group once more.  
  
"Brady, I'll see you tomorrow?" She said, walking backwards toward her favorite headstone to pick up her script.  
  
Brady looked around him. His friends all had their eyes on him expectantly, willing him not to be nice to her. It was too much to go against, so he said the first thing that popped into his head.  
  
"In your dreams." He called out, smiling. This was what his friends were waiting for.  
  
Chloe just stared at him, the smile disappearing from her face. Then she nodded and shrugged her shoulders. Turning her back to them, she walked silently towards old Hemsby to pick up her script. She lifted it slowly into her hand and disappeared behind the gates of the cemetery.  
  
As soon as she was out of earshot, Phillip and his crew burst out laughing.  
  
"Man, Brady…you sure told her!" Phillip cried, patting him on the back, his eyes watering. Brady turned towards them and with all the strength he had, mustered up a convincing smile.  
  
 Chloe's incentive to leave so soon eventually became apparent. No one was allowed into the cemetery after four on Sundays. It was considered a crime to be a night dweller among the dead after you had just been to church and cleared of your sins. It was trespassing.  
  
And, surprisingly enough, the people in this clique being as stupid as they were, went out to eat then back into the cemetery at nine o'clock, not seeing the night watchman on duty in the grave digger's hut.  
  
They walked quietly to the grave where Chloe had been sitting earlier that day and looked at it.  
  
"Hmmm…Hemsby huh? An old friend of Chloe's." Mimi said. Belle started giggling, and Mimi soon joined in.  
  
"Shutup!" Phillip hissed. Both girls stopped giggling abruptly.  
  
Jason flicked on the flashlight he had brought with him and shone it on the tombstone.  
  
"Ah, Sir Reginald Hemsby, dead man walking. His hobbies are climbing out of his rotting coffin at night and having a dance with pretty cheerleaders who happen to cross by his grave." He said jokingly.  
  
Belle and Mimi shrieked.  
  
"I guess we know why Chloe hasn't been attacked by the grave man then." Phillip said matter-of-factly.  
  
Brady rolled his eyes. "I dare you to dig him up." He said to Phillip.  
  
"Dig him up?"  
  
"I triple doggie dare you."  
  
All eyes were on Phillip now, who never let once fall his super tough exterior and 'play it cool' attitude.  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"Whatever. Belle you can have the first dance." He grinned wickedly.  
  
Belle backed up slowly and stood behind Brady where Mimi had already gone to seek shelter.  
  
Phillip knelt down and studied the grave, then with a final glance at his friends he started to dig with his hands. He got a hole about twenty inches wide and a foot deep when a sharp click was heard behind them.  
  
The night watchman now stood in front of the hut, searching the cemetery with his eyes for what could be making so much noise.  
  
Brady spotted him.  
  
"Oh shit." He whispered. Everyone followed his gaze to where the watchman stood with his hand to his revolver.  
  
"I'm too young to go to jail!" Mimi wailed.  
  
"Shutup will you?" Jason snapped.  
  
Then, as soon as the watchman's back was turned, they made a break for it. The watchman turned around when he heard the soft padding of footseps running towards the front gate. Yet all he could see were dark silhouettes of people. Brady stopped a few feet away from the grave.  
  
"Brady come on!" Mimi said, tugging at his arm.  
  
"We can't just leave this like that!" He said, pointing at the hole in the ground.  
  
"Yes we can!"  
  
Brady shook his head and knelt down, frantically pushing the dirt back in.  
  
"Brady!" Mimi yelled as the watchman ran over to them. Then she just gave up and ran after the rest of the gang to Phillip's car.  
  
 "Where's Brady?" Phillip asked as they piled into his car and closed the doors.  
  
"He had to fill in the hole!" Mimi said frantically.  
  
"Oh god."  
  
Just as they were about to but the pedal to the metal, Brady came bolting out of the cemetery with the watchman about twenty feet behind him. Jason opened the door and he jumped inside. As soon as he was in the car, Phillip stepped on it and they screeched down the road. The watchman stopped and stared after them, unable to catch the license plate number.  
  
"Damn kids." He spat, then walked back into the cemetery, closing the gates behind him.  
  
 "You idiot! We could have all been caught!" Phillip yelled as soon as they had rounded the corner.  
  
"It's not my fault! Who's the stupid one who wanted to come back here so late!" Brady shot back, glaring at Belle. She looked offended at the comment.  
  
"How is this my fault!"  
  
Brady sighed.  
  
"Never mind. It doesn't matter."  
  
The rest of the drive back to their houses was quiet. 


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
   
  
"How did he know it was us?" Jason asked, turning towards Brady and Phillip as they walked slowly out of the principal's office the next day.  
  
"Probably because Phil's the only teen in this town who can afford that car of his." Brady scoffed, raising an eyebrow at Phillip.  
  
"Well that doesn't really matter now does it? The fact is we got caught, and now we're being punished." Phillip stated.  
  
"At least we have three punishments to choose from." Jason remarked, remembering the three choices they were given. "One of us has to clean out the washrooms for two weeks, one of us has to tutor a freshman for a month and once of us has to be in the junior play as the lead role because unfortunately dear old Eugene broke his leg. And a couple of girls got the measles, so that leaves a few spots open for other seniors so you won't be all alone." He finished, grinning. "I dibs washrooms!"  
  
"Shot gun on the tutoring!" Phillip cried. "Besides, I hear one of the tutorees is really cute."  
  
Then both guys looked over at Brady.  
  
"Oh Brady…" Jason said dramatically, raising his hand to his forehead, "You must put your acting skills to the ultimate test."  
  
Brady rolled his eyes and shoved him into Phillip. Then they both started laughing.  
  
"Oh, and Chloe is the lead. What a surprise! I bet you planned all of this Black!" Phillip said, gasping for air.  
  
"You know what's even funnier?" Jason said, holding his sides. "At the end of this play…you have to kiss her!" Then he collapsed to the ground, laughing like a mad hyena on a stimulant.  
  
"Damn." Brady said, banging his hand lightly against a locker. He could pretend to be upset and just live with it, or have the poisoned state of mind of his friends and be a baby about it. He chose the first option.  
  
"So how come the girls aren't in trouble here?"  
  
"Because the watchman didn't see them. And even if he did, he wouldn't know who they were because they're not usually with us when we get into messes like these."  
  
"Well sucks to be them! I'm sure they would have thoroughly enjoyed cleaning the bathrooms of Salem High. I know I'd like to be in the girl's washroom everyday. What a swell punishment."  
  
"Ok guys, whatever. I think I need to pick up the script now." Brady said, starting to walk off.  
  
"No need!" Jason broke in, holding up a folder he had taken from the principal's office. "I got it right here."  
  
He was about to hand Brady the book when he saw the title. "Jason Welles, permanent record".  
  
"Well oops what do you know! I guess you really do have to pick it up. I think I'll just hang onto this…"  
  
Brady rolled his eyes laughing. "Yeah, maybe you can get mine next time." He walked off down the hall, his face flushed a pinkish red from laughing so hard.  
  
                                                                                        ***  
  
 Chloe sat smiling in the auditorium as everyone rehearsed their parts. The play was in three weeks and they had to get it right, it had to be perfect. She read her lines when it came her turn, speaking them into the air because at the moment there was no leading man. She wasn't exactly a leading lady in the play, she portrayed the mysterious singer that the characters often saw singing out onto the lake.  
  
"Chloe dear, do you know the song?"  
  
"Yes, Miss. I'm all set." She said smiling.  
  
"Good, good. Now we just need to wait for our lead actor to get here. I gave him the script last Monday, he should be here soon to practice with us."  
  
"Who is it?"  
  
"Oh, you'll see. He's a senior who apparently got into some very deep trouble."  
  
"Yeah, then ratted on us." Belle said from her seat in the auditorium.  
  
"Now all three of us have to be in the play!" Mimi whined. "And what's more is she gets to kiss him at the end! That's not fair." She finished, pointing an accusing finger at Chloe.  
  
"Girls! Why so glum? You don't have that big a part, you just have to be some of the onlookers at the lake in the final act. How hard is that?" The drama teacher said, eyeing them happily.  
  
Mimi and Belle shrugged their shoulders.  
  
"Oh please Mimi. It's not even a kiss, just a peck on the lips. Big deal."  
  
"So what? You don't have experience with pecks!" Mimi seethed, glaring at Chloe. Her response was an eye roll from the quiet brunette.  
  
There was a loud bang from the other end of the auditorium as the door closed.  
  
"Ah, you're here!" The teacher said. Everyone turned their heads to see the mystery man who, overnight, had become the lead in their play.  
  
Chloe gasped. "Black?" She said, as if she were disappointed. She leaned back in her chair and huffed.  
  
"Hey Brady." Mimi gushed as he took a seat beside her.  
  
"Ok, I'm here. Now what?" he asked, looking around at the faces surrounding him. Every girl but Chloe seemed to have their eyes glued on him.  
  
"Should we go over the script again?" Chloe asked quietly, her eyes on the teacher.  
  
"Yes, I do think that would be quite the smart thing to do. Brady, follow along as best you can. I expect that after this you can find someone who will help you practice your lines."  
  
"I will!" Mimi said, raising her arm in the air. She looked over at Brady and winked. Brady looked away from her disgusting display of affection and focused in on the teacher as she began to speak.  
  
"No, Miss Lockheart, that wont be possible. He should practice with someone who has the same amount of lines as him. That would be either our leading lady Gwen, or our mysterious temptress Chloe."  
  
Belle cleared her throat after the teacher said 'temptress' and she and Mimi closed their palms over their mouths to keep from laughing out loud.  
  
The teacher rolled her eyes before continuing.  
  
"Well, that is if you do need help Mr. Black."  
  
"I definitely need it." Brady answered, looking over at Chloe who was still avoiding his gaze.  
  
"Chloe are you up to it?" The teacher asked slowly, probably expecting her to say yes, but when instead she said 'I'd rather not' she was quite shocked.  
  
"Oh, alright. I guess you'll practice with Gwen then." She said, nodding her head towards a short little blonde.  
  
"Um, actually, on second thought…" Brady started, "I think I can manage."  
  
"Alright, it's your decision!"  
  
 So they drama class ran through their lines again, Mimi shamelessly flirting with Brady and Brady shamelessly attempting to shrug her off. They didn't get the chance to hear Chloe sing her song, their time was up before they got that far, but Chloe seriously doubted that she would have sung it now anyway. She wanted to wait until the actual night of the play.  
  
 After the practice, Brady went home to drop off his backpack, then made his way by means of walking to Chloe's house. He silently climbed the porch steps and stood on her door. There was still a little bit of sunlight left, and half the house was covered in the orange glow of the sunset.  
  
He knocked slowly on the door, waiting for an answer.  
  
Chloe opened it and said hello before she realized who it was.  
  
"Oh. It's you." She said, as if he were something the cat dragged in.  
  
"Listen Chloe, I really need you to help me with my lines."  
  
"Why should I?"  
  
"Look, if you're talking about that day at the cemetery, I'm sorry. I just couldn't let my friends know that I wanted to be your friend."  
  
"Oh, so now you want to be my friend. Well Black, I don't think that you know how." She said coldly.  
  
"No, I just want to be, you know, I…"  
  
"Oh! You want to be secret friends! Like a conspiracy!" She said grinning.  
  
"Exactly! You read my mind!"  
  
"Oh really? Now you read mine." Chloe said. The smile faded from her face and was replaced with a frown before she slammed the door in Brady's face.  
  
"Chloe!" he cried, knocking on the door again. This time it was Craig who answered the door.  
  
"I do believe my daughter is finished with you." He said, in a fatherly tone. Fathers were not meant to be messed with so Brady just nodded his head and left the property.  
  
 Later that night, Brady sat quietly at his window. From his house, he had a clear view of the cemetery. Around nine, he saw the familiar figure of Chloe emerge from the darkness and take a seat on Hemsby. He ran from his room and told his mother he forgot to do something and grabbed his script before rushing out the door.  
  
 He walked silently towards Chloe from the gates. As he got nearer, she stood up and took a step back, holding her star charts and script book protectively against her chest.  
  
"What are you doing here." She said, not asked, said. As if she were annoyed with him, and Brady figured she had reason to be.  
  
"Um, I came here to practice my script. The moonlight is bright enough to see even here." He said, holding up the script he had brought with him.  
  
"Oh, well have a nice time." Chloe said, sitting back down and continuing with her star chart.  
  
"Can't you help me with it?" He said desperately. "Look, Chloe, I'm sorry. I'm not like you. I care what people think."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Cause if I don't, then I'll be rejected."  
  
"Like me." Chloe said flatly.  
  
Brady shrugged, not exactly sure of what to say.  
  
"Why don't they like me?" She asked, turning her head to face Brady. Brady sat down across from her on "Lincoln".  
  
"They're afraid of anything that's different."  
  
"And you're not?"  
  
"Nope. That's why I'm here right now."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"So will you help me with my lines?"  
  
"Only on one condition."  
  
"And what's that." Brady asked.  
  
"Promise that not to fall for me." At first Brady thought she was joking but then he realized the serious tone she had taken. Brady raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Ok, that shouldn't be a problem." He said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Good. Now I'll help you." 


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
 For the next three weeks, Chloe and Brady met every other night in the cemetery, being careful to avoid being there later then four o'clock on Sundays. Chloe accepted the fact that Brady was a chicken around his friends, and went along with his 'secret friends conspiracy' idea, even though she thought it to be completely ridiculous. Stepping inside the house late one day, she saw an envelope addressed to her lying on the table. She picked it up and opened it, unfolding the letter that lay inside of it. Her eyes brightened.  
  
"Daddy, Shawn wrote back!" She cried happily, grinning widely at him.  
  
"I know pumpkin." He said, holding up his own letter from where he sat in his den.  
  
Chloe took a seat in the living room and turned on the lamp, reading over the letter.  
  
 "Dear Chloe,  
  
Hello! I have not spoken to you for so long! It's so nice to hear- or see your writing again. I miss you both. Life here is very different. Upon arriving here, mother lavished me with many gifts, but if you ask me most of them were completely useless. Oh, and her dumbbell husband! Don't even get me started on him. He just lazes around and watches television all day. He does not even have a job. I wonder why mother even married him in the first place. He's a slob, and he smells! Even under all that expensive cologne. I am lucky that we have a maid or else I might die of the mess he leaves. I have been attending a private school here. Thank goodness it was mixed! Mother planned on putting me in an all boys catholic school but I refused. I've met a nice girl here named Jamie-Lynn. She sings too! In fact, she reminds me of you in a lot of ways. Personality-wise I mean. But no, no one will ever equal up to you Chloe. (That's what brothers are supposed to say right?) Anyway, you were right that life in Salem is much more practical. I don't not see why anyone would want to live in the middle of the city. I adore the suburban lifestyle of Salem, though my time is up not nearly soon enough! Still two months to go. You know I'm not sure why after fourteen years of neglect mother chooses to invite me to live with her. She is a rather strange woman, and I wish she favored you! Then you'd be the one up here. But, you know she is mom so I guess I'll have to stick this one out.  
  
Your loving older brother (by two minutes!)  
  
Shawn D."  
  
 Chloe smiled and folded the letter back to it's original shape and placed it back neatly in the envelope. Then she stood up and walked over to where her father was working quietly in the den. She slid silently into a chair across from him and read the article he was writing. Something about the life and times of 'Sir Reginald Hemsby, great founder of the town of Salem'. 'Wow' she thought. She sat on top of him practically everyday. The thought was funny in a strange sort of way and she laughed a little.  
  
"What?" Craig asked innocently, looking up from his work and looking lovingly at his daughter.  
  
"I was just thinking, if Sir Reginald Hemsby was so important to our town, why is his tombstone so small?"  
  
She asked curiously.  
  
"Oh…" Craig started, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "You know I really have no idea! Perhaps I should research that and add it to my article."  
  
"Perhaps you should." Chloe said with a nod of her head. "Well, I'm off to bed now. Tomorrow is Friday and I have a big show to put on after school." She said smiling. She flipped her low ponytail behind her back and smoothed out the pair of overalls she was wearing. Then she gave Craig a kiss on the cheek and started up the stairs.  
  
"Goodnight Pumpkin!"  
  
"Night daddy."  
  
 ***  
  
 Alright everyone!" The drama teacher said, clapping her hands together. That was a wonderful practice! I expect that the parents and student body will be quite pleased with this play! Now everyone, off to your dressing rooms! Or, whatever you want to call them…" Her voice trailed off.  
  
"Oh, Chloe, you come with me honey." She said softly, and led Chloe in a different direction.  
  
 Brady sat in the dressing room with all the other guys in the play. He got dressed quickly and stepped out of the crowded room. Mimi and Belle were already dressed surprisingly enough. Mimi sat on a chair outside the dressing rooms, obviously waiting for him.  
  
"There you are!" She said, when she saw him coming out of the change room. "My, don't you look handsome!" Mimi remarked, looking over his costume. The play was set in the 1930s. Brady wore black pants and a white shirt, topped off with a black vest and bow tie.  
  
He shrugged at the comment from Mimi and walked off into another corner backstage. Mimi huffed and turned to Belle, sitting down beside her.  
  
"Hmph! I should be the mysterious singer and get to kiss Brady!"  
  
"Meems, it's not even a real kiss, and you can't sing for peanuts anyway."  
  
"Sure I can! Besides, Chloe isn't all that good. She just sounds good cause the church is so echoey…"  
  
"Mimi, have you lost your mind?" Belle said, raising her eyebrow.  
  
"Lost it? Or finally found it!"  
  
Belle gave her a look.  
  
"You know what I mean." Mimi said, rolling her eyes and slouching in her chair.  
  
"Oh well. At least I can say I'm prettier than Chloe."  
  
"There, now your brain's in working mode."  
  
"Shutup."  
  
"What? I was agreeing with you."  
  
"Well, next time do it in English please."  
  
"Fine, fine." Belle said, turning her attention back to the nail file in her hand.  
  
 Chloe emerged from her dressing room wearing a baggy black cloak with a baggy hood that covered most of her head and face. Really the only visible part of her were her hands and the bottom half of her face.  
  
"Now that's what we call smart shopping." Belle whispered to Mimi, setting both of them off in a rage of giggles. Chloe and the drama teacher took no notice of this and continued on with the conversation they were having.  
  
 Brady came walking back to where Mimi and Belle sat and peered slowly through the curtains. The auditorium was really starting to fill up. Then he turned back to the two girls staring at him and said, "Good Luck." Then turned and left them again.  
  
"How bout a good luck kiss?" Mimi called after him.  
  
He turned around and gave her a funny look. "Don't push your luck." Then he disappeared behind a clothes rack.  
  
Mimi sighed and slunk back into her chair for the second time.  
  
"How am I ever gonna win that guy over!" She asked in exasperation.  
  
"You have to play it cool, Meems. Let him come to you." Belle said, working away on her nails. Mimi nodded her head in silent agreement.  
  
 ***  
  
 Acts one and two of the play went surprisingly well. Brady and Chloe didn't really have many scenes together even though the story was mainly focused on them. As the curtain went down on the third and final act, Mimi and Belle jumped up excitedly.  
  
"Ok, Belle, this is our premier! We could get discovered tonight!"  
  
They took their places on the stage as the sets were moved around. Chloe moved swiftly around the stage, helping to check the lighting and making sure the lighting was just right. She still had not removed her cloak.  
  
"I wonder if she's wearing overalls under that." Belle whispered to Mimi.  
  
"That would be pretty typical huh? And I doubt she even put any makeup on to look the part. She's probably just plain old Chloe Wesley underneath all of that."  
  
"I wouldn't be surprised."  
  
"Do you even know what's going to happen in this act?"  
  
"No. Do you?"  
  
"I just know that we're onlookers. I didn't know we were supposed to read the rest of the script." Mimi said, shrugging her shoulders.  
  
"Oh well, I guess we'll have to wait and see."  
  
Phillip walked onto the stage and greeted the girls.  
  
"Phillip! What are you doing here?" Belle asked.  
  
"Just here to tell you that you gals are looking good! Man do I even feel sorry for Brady right now."  
  
"Ditto." Both girls said in unison.  
  
"Well, I should probably go now before that teacher comes back around, see ya later." With that he left and went back to his seat in the front row of the auditorium.  
  
Chloe walked off the set and waited in her position on the side of the stage, just out of the audience's view. Brady took his place seated on a bench by the lakeside scene. Belle and Mimi stood by a popcorn stand in their knee-length dresses and straw hats.  
  
Then the clear voice of the football commentator rang clear over the intercom system. Chloe had thought it a blessing from god that he had been around that night to announce the scenes.  
  
"Final Act." Was heard through the whole auditorium, people taking their seats just as the curtains raised.  
  
"You horrible man! I was wrong to fall in love with you!" Gwen screeched, pretending to slap Brady across the face. Then she walked off the stage, telling Mimi and Belle to 'beware of that one there.'  
  
Chloe walked silently onto the stage and sat down beside Brady on the bench.  
  
Brady turned to Chloe, running his fingers through his hair.  
  
"You're here! I didn't think that you would come." He said, looking at her with his head tilted to the side.  
  
"I always keep my word Carter." Chloe said, in a voice unlike her own. It was confident and loud, not soft and unsure. It was her character.  
  
"And have you considered my offer? Will you be a singer at my bar?"  
  
"I have not yet decided. You may want my voice but do you want me?" She asked quietly, her hooded head turned towards Brady.  
  
"How can I tell if I cannot see what you look like?" He said, shrugging.  
  
Chloe stood up and undid the cloak where it tied around her neck, then threw back the hood and let the mass of black fabric slide down her body.  
  
The gasps from the audience and even our two favorite onlookers were ominous. Phillip and Jason gaped from their front row seats.  
  
Chloe's hair was down in soft curls that framed her face. For the first time, she was wearing a light dusting of eye shadow on her eyelids. Her dress was a blue satin that matched her eyes. It was low cut in the front, with short sleeves and an open back. It flowed gracefully to her ankles and a few inches of the fabric trailed out behind her. Like they practiced, she took her seat back down beside Brady.  
  
Brady's mouth hung half open. He, like everyone else in the theater was in a complete state of shock. This was not Chloe, Chloe who sang in church and sat in the cemetery that no one liked Chloe? The change was miraculous. It made Brady think of the word skitso. He saw his drama teacher giving him the go ahead from the side of the stage. He gulped and looked at the beautiful young woman standing before him.  
  
"You're stunning…" He said. The fact that he actually meant it made it all that much more convincing.  
  
Chloe smiled and up at him.  
  
"I…I dreamt about you last night. You were an angel. Will you sing for me?"  
  
Chloe nodded her head and stood up, backing away from Brady as a soft melody was played on the piano by the music teacher.  
  
   
  
"There's a song that's inside of my soul,  
  
It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again…  
  
I'm awake in the infinite cold,  
  
But you sing to me over and over and over again…"  
  
   
  
Chloe's soft voice rang throughout the auditorium and everyone was immediately silenced, engulfed in it's soothing aura.  
  
   
  
"So I lay my head back down,  
  
And I lift my hands and pray,  
  
To be only yours ,  
  
I pray to be only yours, I know now,  
  
you're my only hope."  
  
   
  
Brady was entranced. He thought back to the time when the drama teacher had called Chloe's character a temptress. Boy was she ever right. Then his ears perked up as she started to sing again.  
  
   
  
"Sing to me the song of the stars,  
  
Of your galaxy dancing and laughing and laughing again…  
  
When it feels like my dreams are so far,  
  
Sing to me of the plans that you have for me over again,  
  
So I lay my head back down,  
  
And I lift my hands and pray,  
  
To be only yours, I pray to be only yours,  
  
I know now,  
  
you're my only hope…"  
  
   
  
Chloe walked around the set, glancing back at Brady every few steps as they had rehearsed.  
  
   
  
"I give you my destiny,  
  
I'm giving you all of me,  
  
I want your symphony,  
  
Singing in all that I am,  
  
At the top of my lungs,  
  
I'm giving it back…  
  
So I lay my head back down,  
  
1 And I lift my hands and pray,  
  
To be only yours I pray to be only yours,  
  
I pray to be only yours,  
  
I know now…  
  
you're my only hope."  
  
 She finished the song with her hands in such a position as if she were in prayer. Then she turned, back to Brady. Brady stood up slowly and made his way to her as the audience stared on in awe. He took her hands in his and she met his gaze.  
  
"You're my angel…" He said quietly, as Chloe made tears roll down his cheeks.  
  
 "She's really good at that." Mimi whispered to Belle.  
  
 Then, as the curtain started to close, Brady kissed Chloe, a sigh omitting from the crowd. They pulled apart in time to see the audience give them a standing ovation. After the curtains closed, Chloe turned her head back to face Brady.  
  
"Um…" She said quietly, looking down at her hands still held tightly in his.  
  
"Oh, sorry." Brady loosed his grip enough for Chloe to get her hands out.  
  
"That was no damn peck!" Mimi cried angrily, rushing up to them. "I know a peck when I see one and that was not one!" She whirled on Chloe. "It appears that Chloe has a few tricks up her sleeves." She spat, glaring angrily at her. Chloe narrowed her eyes at Mimi.  
  
"You hide all of that and then poof you can't wait to show it off."  
  
"Apparently neither can you." Chloe said, pointing to the outfit that Mimi was wearing.  
  
"Why now huh Chloe? Are you here to make my life miserable and steal my boyfriend?"  
  
Chloe's eyes traveled from Mimi to Brady, then back to Mimi again.  
  
"No." She said simply before walking off, unaware of Mimi's glare following her, nor of Brady's infinite gaze as it followed her until she rounded a corner.  
  
   
  
 Song: Only Hope by Mandy Moore, from A Walk to Remember 


	8. Chapter 7

 Chapter 7  
  
 Chloe sat up against Hemsby in a pair of overalls, her curly hair still down and blowing in the gentle mid-autumn breeze. The weather had been quite mild that year, and continued to stay that way. Chloe was still able to wear her overalls without a jacket as long as she wore a long sleeved shirt. After her performance, Craig had swooped her up in great hug and given her a kiss on forehead.  
  
"You're my angel too."  
  
That remark had kept Chloe smiling. It was late as she sat there in the cemetery, around eleven o'clock. She hadn't brought her sketches with her, she didn't really even need them anymore since her science project was due a week earlier, but she enjoyed drawing them. But that night, it was far from her mind.  
  
 Chloe hummed the melody of the song she had sung into the night air, her melodious voice swirling around the cemetery. She wrapped a bouncy curl around her finger. Then she looked down at the flashlight sitting beside her. She picked it up and flicked it on, standing up. She walked slowly to the little ring of willow trees and lay down at their center, picking out the constellations.  
  
 It wasn't long before Brady was in the little circle. He had followed the humming noise and this is where it had led him. To Chloe.  
  
 "Chloe?" He said quietly. Chloe stopped humming and sat up.  
  
"Oh…hi." She said quietly. "You did good tonight."  
  
Brady smiled. "I could say the same for you."  
  
"Yeah, I guess you could." She said smiling. Brady chuckled lightly, sitting down in the soft cool grass beside her. There was silence between the two. Chloe lay back down on the grass. Brady watched her for a minute, then followed suite, lying back beside her.  
  
"What are we looking at?" He asked, looking up at the white points dotting the sky.  
  
"Constellations. Do you know any?" Chloe asked, turning her head to face him.  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Oh, well see those three stars there?" Chloe said, looking back up at the sky, stretching her arm out to point out the stars.  
  
"Uh huh." Brady said, but he wasn't looking at the stars. His head was still turned toward Chloe. He admired the way the moonlight illuminated her already creamy skin.  
  
"Well that's Orion's Belt. And those four stars making that rectangle shape, well that's—" Chloe stopped talking when she felt Brady's eyes on her. She turned her head to meet his eyes, her eyebrows raised.  
  
"What?" She asked innocently.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Why are you looking at me like that?"  
  
"No reason." Brady said, offering a half smile.  
  
"Oh, I see." Chloe replied, turning her head back to the sky. "Anyway…" She glanced back at Brady, his eyes still glued on her. She blushed slightly.  
  
"What!" She said, propping herself up on her elbow and facing him. Brady mimicked her.  
  
"Nothing, nothing…"  
  
"No seriously, what?" She said, prodding him with her eyes to continue.  
  
"Ok, ok. Can I ask you a question?" Brady asked, his voice taking a more serious tone.  
  
"Ok, shoot."  
  
"Will you go out with me?"  
  
Chloe's eyes widened at the offer. "Are you serious?"  
  
"Dead serious."  
  
"Oh, well um…"  
  
She was unable to finish her sentence as she was interrupted by Brady's lips meeting hers in their first real kiss. Brady somehow ended up on top of Chloe as the kiss grew deeper, and when they finally pulled they were both panting.  
  
"Can I take that to signify your consent?" Brady asked breathlessly.  
  
"Ok, but can you please get off of me? I can't feel my legs." Chloe said, attempting to wriggle her way out from underneath Brady.  
  
"Oh, sorry." He replied, rolling off of her. "Well, now that that's out of the way…" Brady started. "Why don't you finish telling me about these constellations?" He said, sitting up against a willow tree. Chloe crawled over to him and sat down between his legs, her head leaned up against his chest. Brady's arms instinctively wrapped around Chloe's waist.  
  
 They stayed up until dawn, Chloe pointing out the stars and making light conversation. For twenty minutes, they had fallen asleep in eachothers' arms. When they awoke, they were just as chipper as ever and stayed even longer just talking.  
  
It wasn't until five thirty in the morning that Chloe and Brady snuck back into their houses and quietly into bed. 


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
 Chloe slept late into the morning. Usually being quite the morning person, Craig found it rather suspicious that she was not yet up at eleven. Chloe found that sleeping was a waste of time, yet she had never slept in this late in all her life! When she finally did wake up, it was eleven thirty. Chloe sat up groggily and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Craig waited until Chloe was dressed and actually awake before he pounced on her with his questions.  
  
 Around noon, Chloe came down the stairs. Her hair was once again back in that same low ponytail, but with an added bounce from the curls she had had the night before.  
  
"Good morning pumpkin." Craig said as she sat across from him at the kitchen table. "Sleep well?"  
  
"Yes daddy. As a matter of fact I did." She said, looking at him suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"No reason." Craig replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Are you ready for some lunch?"  
  
"Lunch? What about breakfast?"  
  
"Well you slept through that."  
  
"I did?" Chloe looked at the clock hanging on the wall. "I did!"  
  
"Told you so pumpkin." Craig said, then left the table and made himself comfortable on the couch.  
  
Chloe looked around the kitchen and sighed. It wasn't a bad sigh, like 'oh no I slept in' but a good sigh like 'Brady Black is amazing'.  
  
"You know what dad? I think I'm gonna step outside for a bit ok?"  
  
"Sure pumpkin. Just don't be out until dawn this time huh?"  
  
"What? You know about that?" Chloe froze in mid-step as she was reaching for the doorknob.  
  
"Nope. But I guess I do now." He smiled and started laughing from his seat on the couch.  
  
"That was sneaky!"  
  
"I know, I know…" Craig wiped a tear from his eye. "Well, run along then. I am capable of making lunch myself."  
  
Chloe nodded her head slowly and opened the door about halfway when her stomach rumbled. 'Darn…' she thought to herself. She closed the door and knelt on the ground in the kitchen, rifling through the cupboards for something to fill her stomach. She spied a box of crackers in the back corner of the cupboard. She stuck her head in to see better and pulled the box out with her hand. As she was removing her head from the cupboard she hit the back of it on the cupboard's doorframe.  
  
"Ouch!" She called out, rubbing the back of her head. She stood up and placed the crackers on the counter.  
  
 She felt a sort of wetness on her face by her nose. Chloe raised her hand to it and pulled her fingers back. Each was dotted with a puddle of scarlet blood. She had a nosebleed.  
  
"Daddy!" She said running into the living room.  
  
"Oh, Chloe! What happened? Did you hit your nose on something?"  
  
"No! I hit the back of my head!" She cried, still confused as to why her nose was bleeding when it was the back of her head that was in pain.  
  
Craig handed her a tissue and led her to the couch. The semi-amused expression on his face turned to a frown.  
  
"Oh no…Chloe…" He said slowly, locking eyes with his daughter.  
  
Chloe nodded her head solemnly. "I know Daddy."  
  
 ***  
  
 Monday, everyone was back at school. Phillip and his crew were hanging out in front of the school when who should walk up but Brady and the school's Plain Jane hand in hand.  
  
Phillip stood up from where he sat on a picnic table. Mimi and Belle turned their heads to see what he was looking at. A sharp gasp omitted from Mimi's lips. Then she turned on Belle.  
  
"Humph! You said wait for him to come to me? Looks like I waited too long huh Belle?"  
  
Belle narrowed her eyes. Then all of a sudden the evil flare was gone.  
  
"Maybe you need to shop at By-Way." She said, keeping her eyes on Chloe. Jason laughter rang out from behind them.  
  
"Or in the dark." Mimi added, smiling.  
  
Chloe stopped and turned to face the girls. "I'm sorry Mimi, but judging by your outfit, you already do shop in the dark."  
  
Then she turned to Brady and whispered something in his ear, disappearing into the school and leaving Brady at the mercy of his friends.  
  
"Brady, Brady, Brady…" Phillip said, walking towards him, clicking his tongue and pasting a half-smile on his face.  
  
"Brady, why her? She's distorting your vision! There are much prettier girls going for you." Mimi said, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"Nah, Meems, Chloe was looking pretty hot in that play if you ask me." Jason said, propping himself down on the picnic table beside her.  
  
"I double that." Phillip said nodding his head. "But you can still do better. Look at her! She's a servant to god. Her looking like what she looked like last night was a once in a lifetime thing."  
  
"I don't care." Brady said casually, standing his ground.  
  
Mimi huffed loudly from her seat. "Besides, Brady, you said you were my boyfriend!"  
  
"I didn't say anything." Brady replied, looking down at Mimi. "You just assumed it."  
  
"Well you never said you weren't!" She whined, standing up to face him.  
  
"That would just be stating the obvious."  
  
And with that, he turned, and he too, headed inside the school.  
  
Mimi, Belle, Phillip and Jason all stared after him in shock.  
  
"Wow, he's got it bad." Jason said casually. "Looks like you struck out Meems."  
  
"Shutup!" Mimi hissed, plunking herself back down.  
  
Belle's eyes lit up suddenly. "Oh my god, you know what Meems?" She said, turning and giving her friend a wide-eyed look. "My mom took lots of pictures of the play…" She said slowly, hoping that Mimi would catch on.  
  
"So?"  
  
Belle sighed. "Look, she took lots of pictures of Chloe…"  
  
"Ok Belle….That's great." Mimi said, looking at her and shaking her head. Then the idea started to dawn on her. "Oh?…Oh!" Mimi cried, jumping up from her seat. "Oh! Oh! Oh!"  
  
Belle stood up too and shook her head vigorously. Then they both disappeared into the school as well.  
  
"I often wonder what goes on in their heads."  
  
"Well, there's no time like the present to find out."  
  
Phillip and Jason followed the two giggly girls into the building.  
  
 ***  
  
 Mimi and Belle sat at a desk in the art room, looking through the pictures that Belle's mom had taken.  
  
"See, I brought these so that I could rub it in your face that Brady doesn't like you…" She said slowly, holding up pictures of Chloe and Brady in the final scene. "But now, I have much better usage." She laughed wickedly and started to cut out a close up shot of Chloe.  
  
Mimi giggled as she searched through the X-rated magazine she had found under her younger brother's bed. "Miss. Chloe it's time to start watching your back! No snappy comebacks are gonna save you now." 


	10. Chapter 9

 Chapter 9  
  
 Chloe spent that whole morning in English class, her science teacher having given her a break for working so hard and skipping five lessons ahead of the rest of the class. In English, she wrote an essay on the influence that religion has on people, mainly high school kids. The teacher was quite impressed and wanted her to stay behind for a conference.  
  
 Meanwhile, Mimi and Belle bounced around the hallways when everyone else changed periods and handed out the flyers that they had created that morning. Soon, every member of the student body had one floating around with them.  
  
 ***  
  
 When the bell rang for lunch, Chloe stepped slowly out of the English room and walked to her locker. She sensed a strange vibe in the hallway, but nothing she could quite make out. By the time she reached the cafeteria, everyone was already in there. Mimi bounced up to her casually.  
  
"Oh, hey Chloe." She said, smiling sweetly. "I'm sorry for what I said before ok? No hard feelings."  
  
Chloe started at her for a moment then smiled and shook her head, forgiveness was the quality of a saint. She wasn't planning on becoming a saint, but she chose not to have a reason for God to be angry with her in any way.  
  
 Mimi laughed lightly and led Chloe to her table.  
  
"Come and eat with us please?" She asked excitedly. The three people sitting at her table all smiled at her when she reached it. Before they sat down, Mimi picked up a strategically placed flyer on the table.  
  
"Oh my, what's this?" She said, picking it up and examining it, holding it towards her so that Chloe couldn't see. The lunchroom went dead quiet.  
  
"Oh, oh my…" She said in mock surprise, biting her lip. "What do we have here…"  
  
"What is it?" Chloe asked curiously. Mimi dropped the flyer; it landed face down on the floor. Chloe looked at the expression on Mimi's face then bent down to pick it up. Standing back up, she flipped the flyer over and gasped in shock.  
  
Plastered on a bright pink sheet was her head, her hair curled like it was the night of the play. That wasn't what shocked her though. Beneath her head was the body of some slut with a really big chest in a black leather string bikini. In black block letters beneath the picture it read: 'God's Servant?', red lipstick marks underneath the words.  
  
Chloe dropped the flyer as the lunchroom erupted in laughter. She could feel the tears welling up in the back of her eyes. Soon all she could hear was the sound of her own breathing. Mimi was laughing it up with the rest of them. But there were no sharp retorts left. She just wanted to escape. She turned and bumped into Brady as he entered the lunchroom. She moved back, looking up at him.  
  
"Chloe…" He said softly, "This isn't about you, it's about me. I'm so sorry…"  
  
Then he walked past her, as she stood stunned in the doorway of the cafeteria.  
  
He stepped angrily up to his little group of 'friends' and picked up the flyer, looking at it disgustedly. He averted his eyes and glared at Mimi and Belle, who both cowered under his powerful gaze. Phillip was howling with laughter, waving his flyer up in the air.  
  
"Now this is what I'm talking about…" He yelled, laughter still erupting from him in great bursts.  
  
Brady turned his head towards him. Then in one quick motion, Phillip was down on the floor, clutching his stomach from a painful blow compliments of Brady's fist.  
  
Belle gasped and tried to pull Phillip back up to his feet, but he waved her off and got up himself. He glared at Brady, then made for him with a left jab, but Brady being too quick, ducked and caught him in the face as he drew his arm back.  
  
Phillip stepped back and wiped the trickle of blood from his lip.  
  
"Maybe we were all wrong about you Brady…" He said in a low voice. Brady just shook his head and walked back to Chloe. "Come on, let's get out of here." They both disappeared from the school for the rest of the day.  
  
Mimi stared after them then looked over at Belle. "This was supposed to be the end of them! I thought you said Brady cared too much about his image!"  
  
"I guess we all underestimated him…" Belle replied, baffled.  
  
***  
  
 Chloe sat frozen in the circle of willow trees, staring out at the cemetery. Brady watched her, not wanting to disturb her peace as she was still in a state of shock. The tears rolled silently down her cheeks. Brady had never seen Chloe cry. At least not really. He thought he had heard her that one time when he had been up at Lookout Point, and then she had been able to make herself cry during the play. But never had he actually seen her, in all the years he had known her, shed a real tear. Strong, independent Chloe was now no better emotion-wise than a baby.  
  
 Chloe lifted her head and looked over at Brady.  
  
"Hold me please?" She said quietly, her bottom lip quivering. Brady nodded his head silently and held her for the rest of the afternoon, the inviting sunlight basking them in a blanket of warmth. 


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10  
  
 Later that day, Chloe and Brady were wandering around the streets doing nothing much. They stopped when they came to the pier, where there appeared to be some sort of a dance outside by the water.  
  
"Hey, how about that date now Chloe?" Brady said smiling.  
  
Chloe looked up at him and pondered the thought for a moment. "On a school night?"  
  
Brady rolled his eyes, causing a smile to break out over Chloe's face.  
  
"I was kidding! Let's go."  
  
Brady took Chloe's hand as they raced towards the little lighted area in the distance.  
  
 A waiter there gave them a seat on a large dock they had built over the water. The calm waves from the lake lapped up on the sides of the dock as the waiter left Brady and Chloe each with a menu.  
  
"Wow…what should I get?"  
  
"Whatever you want." Brady said smiling.  
  
 ***  
  
 They finished their meals and sat contented in their chairs. Chloe looked over at the dance floor they had set up. The place was mostly filled with senior citizens but they did play a couple of really good songs.  
  
Brady kept his eyes on Chloe as she gazed longingly at the dancing couples. Then a smile spread across her face as she turned back to Brady.  
  
"Do you want to dance?" She asked excitedly.  
  
"Oh, um, I can't."  
  
"Oh, you mean not in front of people? Yeah, that's how I am too."  
  
"No, I mean I can't dance."  
  
Chloe made a face. "Of course you can, everybody can dance."  
  
"Not me."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes and stood up, pulling him out of his chair.  
  
"Come on…"  
  
Chloe managed to get Brady out onto the dance floor, and they started dancing to a slow song.  
  
 "I try but I can't seem to get myself to think of,  
  
Anything, but you…  
  
You're breath on my face your warm gentle kiss I taste,  
  
For truth, I taste for truth….  
  
You know what I came here for…  
  
Tonight I won't ask for more…"  
  
 "Ouch my foot!" Chloe whispered, giving Brady a light kick in the shin.  
  
"Sorry…", Brady said, chuckling light-heartedly. Chloe smiled, her one hand held at her shoulder by Brady's. She placed her head gently on his shoulder, feeling his heartbeat through her chest as they got closer.  
  
 "I wanna be with you, if only for a night,  
  
To be the one who's in your arms to hold you tight,  
  
I wanna be with you, there's nothing more to say,  
  
There's nothing else I want more than to feel this way…"  
  
   
  
"So I'll hold you tonight like I would if you were mine,  
  
To hold, forever more…  
  
And I'll savor each touch that I've wanted so much to be near before,  
  
To feel before…  
  
How beautiful it is…  
  
Just to be like this…"  
  
   
  
"I wanna be with you, if only for a night,  
  
To be the one who's in your arms to hold you tight,  
  
I wanna be with you, there's nothing more to say,  
  
There's nothing else I want more than to feel this way…"  
  
   
  
Brady and Chloe danced late into the night, Brady finally being able to keep his feet in check. They swayed gently to the music, holding each other gently.  
  
 ***  
  
 Brady and Chloe stood out by the water when the remainder of the dancing community had cleared out. Brady held both of Chloe's hands between his.  
  
"Chloe…" He said softly. Chloe, looking out at the water, turned back to meet Brady's gaze.  
  
"I love you."  
  
Chloe sighed. "I know…" She looked up at him silently, tears collecting at the bottom of her eyes.  
  
"Black, you promised not to fall in love with me." She said quietly.  
  
She tugged her hands out of his grasp and sat down at the end of the dock. She pulled the elastic out of her hair and let it tumble in soft waves down her back. Brady sat down beside her.  
  
"I guess I don't have as much control over that as I thought." He replied, tilting her head towards him with his fingertips. "Do you love me?" He asked quietly.  
  
Chloe looked up into his eyes and studied them. "Yes." She said finally. "I love you."  
  
Brady gave her a light kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Good."  
  
Chloe smiled at him and leaned her head on his shoulder. Brady took her hand in his but felt her flinch at his touch. He let go of her hand and looked at it. There were bruises on the insides of her fingers.  
  
Brady stared at them in shock.  
  
"How did you get those?" He asked, running his finger lightly across the bruised surface of her skin.  
  
Chloe shrugged. "It's nothing, really."  
  
"If you say so…" Brady said, setting Chloe's hand down gently and pulling her closer to him.  
  
As they sat there, a piece of paper flew from Chloe's pocket. Brady caught it before it blew into the water. Chloe watched as he unfolded it and read what it said. It was a list.  
  
"Hmmm…get a tattoo, be in two places at once, get married and have at least two hundred people show up at my wedding…Chloe, what's this?"  
  
"It's a list of all the things I want to do before my time here is up." She said simply, taking the list from his hands and looking over it.  
  
"I don't know if I will be able to do them all though."  
  
Brady looked over at her curiously. "You still have plenty of time Chloe." But he was shocked at her seriousness. "Here, why don't we start now…"  
  
He dug around in his pocket and pulled out a sheet of temporary tattoos.  
  
"Here, pick one." He said, holding the sheet out to her. Chloe looked over the little pictures and chose one of a purple-blue butterfly.  
  
"Where do you want it?"  
  
Chloe hummed and hawed. Then she pulled down her shirt where it covered her shoulder and pointed at the back of her left shoulder. "Right there." She said softly.  
  
Brady peeled the clear plastic off of the tattoo and placed it gently on Chloe's back, using some of the water from the lake to wet the back of it.  
  
Chloe shivered slightly at the cool water trickling ever so slightly down her back. Then Brady pulled back the piece of wetted paper from Chloe's back, revealing a pretty little butterfly on her skin.  
  
Chloe left her auburn locks over her right shoulder, giving the tattoo a chance to dry. She leaned back against Brady and smiled.  
  
"One down…now only one hundred and forty-nine more to go." She said laughing.  
  
   
  
   
  
Song: I wanna be with you by Mandy Moore (lol, i'm on a real Mandy kick here) 


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11  
  
 Brady spent the next two weeks with Chloe, helping her to complete the list she had made. Craig was shocked as to how late her daughter was staying out, yet still being able to get up in time for school and stay awake in church.  
  
 Late one night, Craig watched from the kitchen window as Brady dropped Chloe off at the house, giving her a goodnight kiss on the lips. Brady disappeared down the street in his car and Chloe stared after him until he was out of sight. Turning around she jumped when her father was waiting for her on the porch.  
  
"Chloe do you have any idea what time it is?" He asked, keeping the anger in his voice minimal.  
  
"Yes Daddy. It's eleven thirty." Chloe said, looking down at the watch she had around her wrist.  
  
"You were with that boy again."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Chloe this isn't good for you. You're acting like--"  
  
"Like I'm in love Daddy?" Chloe finished, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"Pumpkin, you're not being fair to him."  
  
"Yes I am." Chloe said defensively.  
  
"You have to tell him, pumpkin. He has to know…"  
  
Chloe was silent. Then she nodded her head slowly. "I'll- I'll tell him tomorrow."  
  
Craig hugged his daughter and gave her a kiss on the forehead.  
  
"Now I know you are probably going to sneak back out anyway, so I'll just let you go now. Mr. Black is probably already waiting for you at the cemetery." He winked then went inside, closing the door gently behind him.  
  
Chloe shook her head. Her father had known all along? And he didn't say anything…Chloe shrugged and headed towards the cemetery.  
  
 Brady sat waiting on "Lincoln". Chloe walked up to him smiling and sat down on Hemsby.  
  
"You're here early." Brady said, looking surprised.  
  
Chloe nodded her head. Brady smiled and jumped off Lincoln, picking up two blankets and a thermos of coffee from the ground beside him.  
  
"Do you think we can stay up long enough to watch the whole sunrise this time?"  
  
"That's why I brought the coffee." Brady said, holding the thermos up in the air. Chloe nodded and smiled, following him into the ring of willow trees. They placed the blankets and thermos by the stream then Brady took Chloe's hand and led her to one of the tall willow trees.  
  
"Look Chloe…I want to show you something." He said softly. He pointed to a spot on the rich brown bark on the tree. Chloe strained her eyes to see what he was looking at.  
  
There, seemingly freshly carved into the bark was a little heart, containing the words 'B.B. and C.W. forever'.  
  
Chloe stared at it in awe, then turned to Brady.  
  
"It's wonderful…" She said, then kissed him.  
  
"I'll love you forever." Brady said smiling, touching her cheek softly.  
  
 Then they spread out one blankets and sat down on it together, lifting the second over their legs.  
  
"If I happen to doze off, don't be afraid to nudge me awake ok?" Chloe said, leaning back against Brady.  
  
"I don't want to miss this."  
  
"Sure thing. As long as I don't doze off first." He said quietly.  
  
"How am I supposed to know when you fall asleep?" Chloe asked curiously.  
  
"I'll stop talking."  
  
Chloe giggled lightly and pulled Brady's arms around her.  
  
"Alright then Black, start talking."  
  
 ***  
  
 Amazingly enough, neither one of them nodded off before the sunrise. They both watched it silently as the sun made it's way over the horizon, the clouds above it tinted a light pinkish-blue.  
  
 Brady dropped Chloe off at her house later that morning.  
  
"Will you pick me up again tonight?" Chloe asked, getting out of the car.  
  
"Sure thing." Brady said.  
  
Chloe smiled and closed the door, walking back into her house.  
  
Craig was waiting at the table, a mug of coffee sitting in front of him. "Did you tell him?"  
  
Chloe sighed. "Tonight."  
  
 ***  
  
 Brady and Chloe walked hand in hand down the street that night. Chloe had decided to wear her hair down again, it was a nice change.  
  
Mimi and Belle came tumbling out of a store laughing wildly. They stopped and cleared their throats when they saw Brady and Chloe, standing up straight and walking by them silently.  
  
Chloe and Brady just continued on their way.  
  
Mimi stuck her tongue out at Chloe's back, shooting daggers.  
  
Belle just pulled her on down the street.  
  
"It's just an infatuation. He'll get over it."  
  
 Brady and Chloe stopped in a back alley just off of the sidewalk.  
  
"Brady, I need to tell you something." Chloe said, her features giving away nothing but the fact that what she was about to tell him was not something he probably wanted to hear.  
  
She sighed deeply and looked up at him.  
  
"Brady…I'm sick." She said quietly.  
  
"Oh. Well, I'll take you home for a few days and you'll be all better soon." He said, a little confused as to why she looked so serious.  
  
"No, Brady listen to me, I'm sick." She said, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I have leukemia."  
  
Brady froze. "What?"  
  
"I found out a year ago, but it's a really rare form of the disease and I've stopped responding to treatments." She explained, hoping that Brady would understand. "I'm dying, Brady."  
  
"Are you…scared?" He asked quietly, feeling the lump rising in his throat.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then why don't you show it? How come you never told me Chloe?"  
  
Chloe paused, the tears still running down her cheeks.  
  
"I didn't want everyone to act weird around me. The doctor told me to live life as normally as I could until the symptoms set in."  
  
"Even me?"  
  
"Especially you Brady!" She exclaimed.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Chloe took a step back from him and shook her head.  
  
"Because I knew you would be scared too." Then she turned and ran off into the night.  
  
Brady stood glued to the spot, staring after her. 


	13. Chapter 12

 Chapter 12  
  
 The following morning Chloe sat motionless on her bed, looking out the window. Her hair was back in a ponytail again, a pair of overalls following up the hairstyle.  
  
 Craig walked silently into the room, sitting down on the bed beside Chloe and putting his arm around her.  
  
"You told him?"  
  
Chloe nodded her head and continued looking straight ahead at the window.  
  
"Good girl." He kissed her on the cheek and left the room. As soon as he had left, silent tears rolled down her cheeks, dripping off the end of her chin.  
  
Suddenly, there was a smacking sound at the window. She hadn't see anything hit it for her vision was so blurred; yet there it was again. She watched closely and caught the small, distorted form of a pebble hitting her window. When she didn't respond, there was a shower of pebbles, hitting her window one after another. She stood up slowly and walked to her window. Just before she reached it, a pebble hit it just to the left of the very center and it cracked. Chloe's eyes widened. She looked out the window and saw the panicked form of Brady biting his lip and looking at the crack he had left in the window. Chloe carefully opened the window, afraid that if she opened it quickly it would shatter. She stood looking down at Brady, who was now running frantically around the yard. It was funny seeing him in such a state of panic that her soft laughter rang out. Brady heard it and went back to Chloe's window and looked up at her. Before he could say anything, Chloe undid the ribbon in her hair and let it drift out of her window. It floated gently down to Brady, where he caught it and put it in his pocket.  
  
 The smile disappeared from Chloe's face and her expression turned to one displaying intense pain. Craig came walking back into the room.  
  
"What is that boy doing out th- " The expression on Chloe's face scared him. "Chloe what's wrong." He said, a note of fear in his voice.  
  
Chloe turned towards him, clutching her left side. There were tears forming in her eyes, and her breathing became shallow. In one quick movement, Craig was right beside her as Chloe's eyes closed and she fainted, falling into her father's arms.  
  
 Brady watched in horror from the front lawn. As soon as he saw Chloe faint, he bolted through the front door of the Wesley household and ran up the stairs. Craig turned his head towards him when he ran through Chloe's bedroom door.  
  
"Quick! Bring her out to my car." He yelled, urging Craig to follow. Craig's eyes wandered from Brady to his daughter then back to Brady. Then he nodded his head and carried Chloe down the stairs and into Brady's car.  
  
 ***  
  
 Brady sat beside Chloe in her hospital room. She was still asleep; IV tubes hooked up to her arm. Craig walked into the room, looking at the sight before him.  
  
"Son, you can leave her now."  
  
Brady shook his head.  
  
"It's alright. I'm here now. I need some time with my daughter." He said, standing at the end of Chloe's bed.  
  
Brady kissed Chloe on the forehead, and stood up. Chloe stirred a little but resumed sleeping. Brady made way for the door, but Craig stopped him as he walked by.  
  
"You really do love her don't you." He said quietly.  
  
Brady nodded his head and left the hospital room. Craig sat down quietly beside Chloe and held her hand gently in his. He moved a loose strand of her hair out of her eyes. Chloe's eyes opened slowly.  
  
"Daddy?" She whispered, focusing her vision on her beloved father.  
  
"It's me pumpkin." Craig said, unable to hide the relief in his voice at the sound of his daughter's voice. She had been out of it for almost fourteen hours.  
  
Chloe smiled at him warmly. Her face was a little paler than usual, and Craig could tell it was harder for her to breathe. "I love you." She said softly.  
  
Craig kissed her cheek. "I love you too. You hang in there pumpkin. We're gonna beat this."  
  
Chloe nodded her head slowly.  
  
Then she let her eyes wander around the room. "Where's Brady?"  
  
"How do you know he was here?"  
  
"I was awake." She said smiling.  
  
"Oh. Well he just left."  
  
Chloe looked back over at her father. "What happened?"  
  
Craig sighed. "You fainted pumpkin. It's progressing." Chloe and Craig always referred to the leukemia as 'it' though I know not why. Perhaps it was to soften the harsh reality of what it was that was actually happening.  
  
"I knew it." Chloe said, turning her head and looking up at the ceiling. "I knew a while ago." She showed Craig the small bruises on the insides of her fingers. "Normal people don't get those." She said laughing. It surprised Craig that she could laugh at a time like this; but then again his daughter never stopped surprising her. She had been pretty brave through this big ordeal, and she wasn't letting her guard down just yet. Craig smiled lovingly at his daughter  
  
 ***  
  
 Brady drove home, his eyes displaying the redness one could only get if they were crying. He stepped into his house and closed the door behind him. His parents John and Isabella came rushing out of the living room.  
  
"Brady!" Isabella cried, throwing her arms around Brady's neck. "Where have you been?"  
  
"Probably with Chloe, huh son?" John said, wiggling his eyebrows.  
  
Brady shrugged his shoulders. He hadn't yet told them the news that Chloe had given him the night before.  
  
"What's wrong?" Isabella asked, noticing that her son was disheartened. Brady met his mother's eyes and sighed, Isabella gasped at the redness around his eyes.  
  
"Brady, spit it out!"  
  
Brady's face lit up as he got an idea.  
  
"Dad, can you do me a huge favor?"  
  
"Only if you tell us what's going on!"  
  
"Oh…" Brady's expression turned back to the one he had had when he walked in the door.  
  
"She's dying." He said quietly, biting his lip to keep it from quivering.  
  
"Who is?" John asked curiously, his one eyebrow raised.  
  
"Chloe."  
  
Isabella's eyes widened in shock. "What! How? What's happened!"  
  
Brady sighed. He really didn't want to be the one who broke the news to everyone. "She has leukemia."  
  
"No! She can't have leukemia! She is such a nice girl…John!" Isabella turned towards John, but his mouth was hanging open in a state of shock. "I…I…" Was all he could muster, shaking his head back and forth.  
  
"Dad, can I ask you for that favor now?"  
  
"How can you ask me for a favor at a time like this?"  
  
"Just listen…"  
  
 Brady told John and Isabella his plan, and at the end Isabella was all tears saying how sweet it was of Brady to want to use his life's savings to do something like that for Chloe. 


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13  
  
 The next day Chloe was OK to go back home, but the doctor had predicted that her hospital visits would become much more frequent. This is when Brady decided to put his plan into action. He arranged a personal hospital- like system in Chloe's home. She had a personal nurse and doctor, eliminating her need to go to the hospital for the time being.  
  
 Chloe didn't attend school anymore, the doctors fearing that even the tiniest amount of stress could cause her to faint again or even send her into a comatose state. Brady never failed to show his devotion to Chloe as he stayed away from school to keep her company. By now pretty much the whole town knew. Kids from Salem High who didn't really know Chloe in person were coming to her house to wish her luck and give her strength to keep fighting this disease.  
  
 After staying home from school for about a week, Chloe had four of the most unexpected visitors show up at her door. She sat on the couch as Brady got the door for her, insisting that she rest. Phillip and Jason stood on the porch with Mimi and Belle beside them in tears.  
  
"Please let us in to see Chloe!" Belle wailed, Mimi clutching her arm for support, close to hysterics.  
  
Brady considered it for a moment.  
  
"Why do you want to see Chloe?" He asked finally, confused as to why they had shown up on their most hated enemy's doorstep.  
  
"Just let us in! We're taking a major guilt trip here if you hadn't noticed!" Jason said, pointing to the two girls in front of him.  
  
Chloe watched them curiously from where she sat, as thoroughly confused by their appearance as Brady was. She stood up and walked over to them quietly. Her hair was down again; she had shown Brady the joys of a curling iron and let him experiment on her hair for lack of anything better to do. Now the curls tumbled over her shoulder and down her back, making her eye color stand out as a bright blue.  
  
"It's ok, Brady." She said, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Though I hardly think they deserve it, forgiveness is right in the face of god. Right now I doubt I should do anything to make him the least bit upset with me."  
  
Brady was about to protest but then decided against it. He opened the door fully and let the four teens in. Chloe led them to the living room, motioning for them to sit down. She sat down in the rocking chair by the window. It had belonged to her grandmother and she found it the most comforting place of all.  
  
"Chloe! We're so sorry for everything!" Mimi cried out from her seat. "I'm so sorry for laughing at you and making those stupid flyers and putting that pudding in your desk in the fifth grade…"  
  
Belle's eyes widened and she elbowed Mimi in the stomach.  
  
"What she means to say is we're sorry someone but pudding in your desk."  
  
Chloe rolled her eyes. "I already know it was you. Eugene Landry saw you guys doing it before class."  
  
"Oh…" Belle said quietly, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "Well in that case we are sorry." She said sincerely.  
  
"Yeah, and we're sorry too." Phillip said, speaking for Jason.  
  
"I really hope you'll get through this Chloe!" Mimi said sniffling.  
  
"Well here, here's a card from everyone at school." Jason held out a large blue get well card. The front, back and inside of the card were completely filled with signatures and little notes from everyone who had the time to sign it.  
  
Chloe smiled as she looked over the card.  
  
"Thank you." She said quietly. And she meant it.  
  
 ***  
  
 After that day, Chloe's condition worsened. She could no longer keep most of her food down and had to be put on an IV at night to keep her as properly nourished as possible. Chloe didn't like being confined to her room at night, considering the fact that she preferred night to day.  
  
So one night, she was able to convince her doctor to let her step outside for a few moments. As soon as she was outside, Chloe ran down the street and to the cemetery, where she had not been for weeks. She found Brady sitting in their little clearing inside the ring of willows. He appeared to have dozed off. She smiled fondly and stepped into the clearing. The carving Brady had put in one of the trees was still visible. Chloe ran her fingers over the rough bark, tracing the outline of the heart. Then she walked over to where Brady was lying down in the grass. The blue nightgown she was wearing floated out gracefully behind her. Chloe had only thrown on a light jacket before leaving the house, as even in November the weather was still warm. She sat down beside Brady and moved his tousled blond hair off his forehead. He stirred a little and opened his eyes.  
  
"Chloe?" He said quietly, looking up at her.  
  
"It's me."  
  
Brady smiled contentedly and put his head in her lap, dozing off again. Chloe sat still so as not to wake him again. She wasn't leaving him for some stupid I.V. tubes waiting for her back home. She gently played with his hair. Sometime that night, she had removed her jacket in the midst of a hot flash she was having. So she sat, in a blue satin nightgown with no sleeves, in the middle of the cemetery. Her hair was curled, the results of a permanent she had decided to get when Brady told her how pretty she looked when it was in ringlets.  
  
Brady woke up a few times that night, but never for very long. Chloe didn't blame him for being tired as he had been over to her house so often making sure that she slept well, never minding the amount of sleep that he himself received.  
  
The second time Brady woke up, he asked Chloe if she was an angel. Chloe had laughed lightly but not gotten a chance to answer before Brady fell back asleep.  
  
Craig watched them silently from the gates of the cemetery. How had he known that Chloe would be there? It was father's intuition. But he had to admit that he and Brady were on the same brain wave that night. He too had thought her to be an angel when he had first laid eyes on her. The moonlight illuminated her skin in such a way that it appeared to be glowing. He half expected a pair of wings to sprout from her back at any moment. He decided to give his daughter some privacy Brady. He remembered a conversation he had had with the doctor. He gave her two months to live unless they were blessed with a miracle.  
  
 Craig turned and walked back to the house, remembering that Shawn would be returning home the next day. Chloe would be happy to see him. Yet Shawn had not yet heard the news that his sister was dying, and as far as he knew, neither did Nancy.  
  
 Soon, Chloe too had dozed off against a tree in the little clearing. Her moving around in her sleep had awakened Brady. He sat up and rubbed his head, looking around him and realizing where he was. He picked up Chloe's jacket from where it sat in the grass and turned around to find Chloe peacefully asleep against the tree. He gave her a soft kiss on the lips and picked her up in his arms, not wanting to wake her as he carried her home. 


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14  
  
 The next day, Chloe sat in the living room with her father and the doctor. Craig had apparently agreed to let the doctor tell Chloe what he had told him.  
  
"Alright, Chloe. Are you willing to hear what I have to say?" The doctor asked gently.  
  
"What, do I need more tubes stuck in me?" Chloe asked, leaning against the arm of her chair.  
  
"I'm afraid it's much worse than that, dear." The doctor looked over at Craig, making sure if he was really permitted to go on with this. Craig nodded his head slowly.  
  
"In the past month, your leukemia has progressed greatly. I'm afraid that soon you will not even be able to walk anymore. Have you been experiencing any more pain than usual?"  
  
Chloe shook her head in response.  
  
"Good. We should be able to ward off all of these symptoms as best we can."  
  
"Is that the bad news?" Chloe asked, catching the look that passed between Craig and the doctor. 'It's not is it…" She said quietly.  
  
The doctor shook his head 'no'. "I'm afraid not Chloe." He sighed before he went on. "According to the rapid mutation of you cells and the progression of your illness, with treatment, our specialists give you only two months to live."  
  
"Two months to live…" Chloe repeated, her spirits deflated, "Oh. Well I guess I can't do much about this can I?"  
  
"Well, we are still working on it Chloe. We pray that there is some way that we can save you."  
  
"Oh." Chloe said again. "Alright. I'll pray that you do find something." Then she stood up and left the room. Brady was waiting outside for her, but he had heard everything through the open widow.  
  
Chloe stepped out onto the porch and looked over at Brady. He stood up and walked over to her, and as he did, Chloe broke down and started crying. Brady held her in his arms tightly, and he cried, too.  
  
"Two months…" Chloe said again. "Two months to live…"  
  
"Shhh, Chloe, you'll live. You'll live much longer than that."  
  
"Brady I'm scared." Chloe whispered, sobbing into his chest.  
  
"So am I." He sat down on one of the wicker chairs and pulled Chloe down on his lap. They sat quietly like that for a while, Chloe had her arms around Brady, and their heads were leaned into each other. Craig watched them through the screen door and sighed. Not only because his daughter was dying, but because Nancy had delayed Shawn's arrival in Salem by another two weeks and there wasn't really anything that he could do.  
  
***  
  
 That night when Brady got home, he sat across from his mother on the couch and didn't talk very much.  
  
"Brady? Wh-"  
  
"Two months, mother. The doctors give her two months."  
  
Brady lifted his eyes to face Isabella's, whose were already filling with tears.  
  
"Brady, I'm so sorry…"  
  
"Save it." Brady said angrily. "There's nothing anyone can do now. The stupid doctors can't do anything. She's dying mother! I don't understand this…"  
  
Isabella quietly took a seat beside her son and put her arms around him. Brady leaned into her shoulder and immediately started crying.  
  
"Mom, I can't do anything to help her!" He cried in despair.  
  
"Maybe you are helping her." Isabella said softly. "Perhaps because you love her and she loves you…she has a reason to live and fight off this illness."  
  
"It doesn't matter. I want to do more."  
  
He stood up and walked around the room, biting his lip. He heard a slight crunch as he leaned up against the wall. He looked down curiously at the side of his pants, but there was no sign of anything that could have crunched. Then he dug his hand in his pocket and came up with a piece of paper folded into a square. He unfolded it and looked over it thoughtfully. It was Chloe's list of things to do. Now he finally realized why she had wanted to do them all so soon. How could he have not seen this coming? He looked down the list. All the things she had wanted to accomplish were checked off. All but one.  
  
 Brady looked up from the paper and met her mother's concerned gaze.  
  
"Mother…" He started. "You know how there's a really fine line between a stupid thing and the right thing don't you?"  
  
"What do you have in mind?" Isabella inquired, looking at the crumpled piece of paper in her son's hands.  
  
 ***  
  
 Later that day, Chloe was lying down on a blanket with Brady in the clearing. Brady was lying one way, and Chloe was using his side as a headrest as she lay the opposite way.  
  
"Brady?" Chloe said softly, feeling the rise and fall of his body as he breathed.  
  
"Uh huh?"  
  
"Hi."  
  
Brady chuckled. "Hi." He said in return.  
  
Chloe sighed deeply. "I love you, Black. Remember that."  
  
"I will."  
  
"Why are you so quiet? You're usually the one to carry on a conversation."  
  
"Oh. Chloe, I was thinking. Remember way back when you made me promise not to fall in love with you?"  
  
"Yes…"  
  
"You knew all along didn't you? That I would fall in love with you."  
  
"Of course I knew! What did you think I pray for every night?" She said giggling.  
  
"I dunno. Peace and good will towards men or something like that."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Chloe sat up on the blanket leaning to one side and using her arm as a support. Brady sat up too, and faced her. He gave her a soft kiss on the lips.  
  
"Would you do anything for the one you loved Chloe?" Brady asked quietly, moving a curl off of her face.  
  
"Pretty much." Chloe said, nodding her head.  
  
"Good." Brady stood up and lifted Chloe to her feet.  
  
"Marry me."  
  
Chloe gasped at the proposal. Brady pulled a ring from his pocket and held it up to her, the moonlight glinting off of its polished surface. Brady paused.  
  
"Now would be a good time to say something."  
  
Chloe looked up into his eyes and nodded her head.  
  
"Yes!" She cried, as the tears started to flow down her cheeks. Brady manages to get the ring on her finger before she threw her arms up around his neck.  
  
"Oh god Brady I love you so much!"  
  
Brady found her lips and kissed her, receiving the best response he could ever hope for. 


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15  
  
 The next morning, Chloe had a permanent smile plastered on her lips.  
  
"Why pumpkin, why are we so happy this morning?" Craig asked in mock curiosity. Chloe raised her ring finger in the air and pointed to the golden band around it.  
  
"He did go through with it! Ah the little devil…" He laughed happily. "Does this mean that I have to give you away?"  
  
"Only at the ceremony daddy. Then you can have me back…" Chloe laughed at little at her attempted joke, twisting the ring around her finger. Craig nodded his head.  
  
"We're planning to have the wedding next week."  
  
"So soon?" Craig asked, raising his eyebrows.  
  
"I only have two months to live remember? And now it's one month and twenty- nine days so I would really like to experience what it is like to be married in this lifetime." Chloe said, tapping her fingers against the wooden surface of the table.  
  
"Oh, ok Pumpkin. Whatever you want." Craig said, nodding his head to show that he supported whatever decisions she made. They were both silent for a moment, the only noise from Chloe's finger tapping out a rhythm on the table.  
  
"Daddy wasn't Shawn supposed to come back yesterday? I was wound up in what the doctor told me that I completely forgot."  
  
"Um…Honey, he's not coming back. Nancy called me yesterday to tell me that she wanted Shawn for two more weeks. I said ok because there wasn't really anything I could do. She called again right before you came downstairs this morning and said she is holding him for the rest of his life. She wants at least one of her children to grow up as a rich city boy."  
  
"Daddy no!" Chloe said pounding her fist on the table. She immediately regretted doing that for a bruise started forming on the outside of her hand. "You can't let him stay there! He told me in his letter that he likes it better here!"  
  
"Chloe honey, I'm afraid there is nothing we can do. When it comes to custody, the courts are usually in favor of the mother. Shawn can't come here on his own either, not until he is eighteen."  
  
Chloe slouched down in her chair. Suddenly her engagement wasn't the most important thing on her mind.  
  
"Then he won't be here for my wedding?" She said quietly, dreading the answer. Craig shook his head slowly, about as disappointed as Chloe was at that moment. "Can't we go over there and get him?"  
  
"Not in your condition honey. And where would I get the money?"  
  
Chloe sighed. First she was being robbed of her life, and now of her brother too? How unfair life could be sometimes. Chloe stood up from the table and left the house, grabbing a jacket on her way out. She was no longer allowed to leave the house without one.  
  
 Brady went to answer the door when he heard the persistent knocking.  
  
"Chloe!" He exclaimed happily. Chloe's depleted mood was suddenly lifted. She could not feel sad for long with Brady around her. He gave Chloe a kiss on the cheek and led her inside his house by the hand. Isabella and John sat on the couch enjoying an afternoon tea when they saw their son and future daughter-in-law walk inside. Isabella immediately rose from the couch and went to give Chloe a hug.  
  
"Oh, hello darling!" She said happily, hugging her warmly. John decided her might as well be the receiver that his wife was so he got up and gave Chloe a hug too.  
  
Brady whispered to Chloe, "They're really touchy-feely. You better get used to that!" Chloe grinned at his comment.  
  
"I heard that!" Isabella said, placing her hands on her hips. "And I don't deny it either." Everyone in the room laughed out loud. After sitting and chatting for a while, Chloe pulled Brady off into a corner of the room.  
  
"Brady, remember how I wanted Shawn to be the best man at out wedding?" Chloe asked slowly.  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"Well scratch that. He's not going to make it. My mother is holding him hostage in New York."  
  
"What!"  
  
"I told you she's a lunatic…"  
  
"Isn't there anything you can do?"  
  
"Not according to my dad. The courts are all supposed to be in favor of the mother or something like that. So we'll have to find a new best man."  
  
John cleared his throat loudly from the seat. Both Chloe and Brady looked over at John then gave each other a look, nodding their heads.  
  
"Say dad, how would you like to be best man at our wedding?"  
  
"Moi?" John asked, pointing to himself and looking around the room in surprise.  
  
"Do you see any other dads in this room?"  
  
"I dunno son. Is there something I should know?" John asked eyeing his son with mock suspicion in his voice.  
  
"Dad…" Brady said in an annoyed tone of voice.  
  
"Ok, ok. I'll do it!" He said, raising his hand over his heart. "For the sake of my son."  
  
Brady rolled his eyes. "Ok, thank you."  
  
"You're welcome." His dad answered before slouching back on the couch and resuming watching "I Love Lucy" with Isabella.  
  
 ***  
  
 Brady led Chloe outside and they sat on the porch steps. Chloe felt a sharp pain shoot up her leg and winced.  
  
"Chloe what's wrong?" Brady asked, concerned.  
  
"It's my leg…" Chloe said, the pain apparent through her expression. She ran her hand up and down her calf in an attempt to stop the surges of pain that shot up her legs.  
  
"Can you walk?" Brady asked, helping her to her feet. Chloe appeared to be walking fine, but after her fifth step, her legs gave way and she collapsed. Luckily, Brady had been there to keep her from hitting the hard surface of the porch or worse, the sharp edge of the steps. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her out to his car.  
  
"I guess I should get you to that doctor now…" Brady said, driving quickly down the road.  
  
Chloe bit her tongue to keep from crying out in pain.  
  
 ***  
  
 At the Wesley house, the doctor inspected Chloe's legs carefully.  
  
"Uh huh. Hmmm…" He said quietly as he ran his hand over the back of her leg. He took the little metal hammer from his medicinal bag to test Chloe's reflexes.  
  
He tapped the metal surface on the pressure point in Chloe's knee, but her leg did not kick upwards. He tried again. This time, it took five seconds, but her leg did kick up.  
  
"I see…" He said, backing up and placing the tool back in his bag. "Well, right now the nerves in your legs are going haywire. I will have to check again tomorrow. But for now…" He rifled around in his bag again. "Take one of these every four hours to ease the pain."  
  
Chloe nodded her head and just sat there. She was afraid to stand up. Brady left the room to grab a glass of water, leaving Chloe alone with her thoughts.  
  
Chloe glanced around the room, then, hanging on to the sides of her chair, she struggled slowly to her feet. She was able to stand, and even walk perfectly fine. She got out of the room and down the stairs, but upon reaching the last step her legs gave way again and she stumbled onto the hardwood floor of the living room.  
  
Craig came running into the room when he heard the thud of Chloe's body hitting the floor. He arrived to see Chloe grabbing the stair rail and trying to stand up again. He disappeared back into the kitchen, coming back with a pair of crutches.  
  
"Here…" He said, helping his daughter up. "The doctor left these for you." 


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16  
  
The incident with her legs was a turning point in Chloe's health. Instead of getting better, she got worse. In the next week leading up to her wedding day, she lost most of the feeling in her legs and her mental and physical heaths were deteriorating quickly. Soon, for short periods of time, she could not remember whom she was, where she was, or whom it was she was with. The doctors increased her intake of medicine and painkillers, insisting that she face a grueling session of chemotherapy every other day. The medicines made Chloe feel so much sicker that she refused to have her dosage increased, insisting that she was going to die anyway. It wasn't a very bright attitude for her to have in such a time, but as much could be expected when you were 17 and trying to fit the whole rest of your life in the allotted time given to you by the doctors. She became noticeably thinner as well, losing her womanly contours to the monster that was slowly taking over her life.  
  
Yet she chose not to fall easily and give up. She went out two days before her wedding to buy a dress. She could not walk easily any longer and was forced to go in a wheel chair. Her father went with her, looking over the choices in the finest stores that they could find, pushing Chloe in front of him as they strolled through the streets. Everyone walking by them waved, and as soon as they had passed they started talking about how nice a girl Chloe was or how pale she looked or how nice it must be to have a father like Craig.  
  
Eventually, Chloe and Craig spied the perfect dress. It had a tight bodice and thin lace straps, a pretty lace trim decorating its edges. The skirt was full and long, trailing out a bit behind her. It was made of a white silk, Chloe was surprised as to why her father would agree to spend so much on a dress she would wear only once, but she said nothing. They picked out the prettiest headdress that they could find. Chloe chose a simple, yet elegant white headpiece, whose veil would hang in a thin, sheer blanket over Chloe's hair and down to almost the entire length of the dress. The owner of the store suggested that she allow her to jazz up the piece with a few real white carnations the day of the wedding. Chloe nodded her head smiling, thanking her for her kind thought and offer.  
  
Chloe chose not to worry Shawn about her failing health and didn't allow Craig to call him or Nancy to tell them what was going on. Chloe secretly hoped that her brother had found his own romance with Jamie-Lynn.  
  
***  
  
The day of the wedding, the church was packed. More than 200 people showed up, surpassing Chloe's goal. In fact, it appeared as though the whole town had shown up to watch the joining of two of their most beloved teens that had been the talk of the town ever since that fateful night of the play.  
  
The reverend stood patiently at the altar, Brady standing out by his side. Along with the best man, Chloe had chosen Mimi and Belle to be her bride's maids upon realizing that they weren't really that bad. Brady followed up with Jason and Phillip and Isabella had been chosen as the maid of honor.  
  
Now, as Brady stood there, he grew very nervous. Today he would be giving his soul away to another, though he doubted that he hadn't already done so already. It wasn't the whole concept of getting married to Chloe, because really he had never wanted anything more than this in all of his life. It was the fact that he had to do it in front of everyone. That's what made him nervous, and really for no apparent reason because he was often in the spotlight as a football star and such.  
  
Now, as the ceremony began, he played nervously with his cufflink. First down the aisle came Marigold, the reverend's daughter, filling the space as flower girl. She threw little red rose petals over the ground, unfortunately not always landing where they were supposed to when a glass of water Chloe's drama teacher had sitting by her feet was filled with rose petals next time she raised the glass to take a drink at the end of the wedding. Following down the aisle were John and Isabella, walking slowly, arm in arm. The bride's maids dresses were a simple pale purple, with thin straps and length. Their hair was worn in a mass of curls and a light ring of lilacs to finish the look. Belle and Phillip, and Mimi and Jason walked down and stood in their respectful places.  
  
The reverend's mother proceeded to play a soft melody in the background as everyone stood up and looked towards the open doors of the chapel expectantly for the bride's arrival.  
  
Outside, Chloe stood up from her wheel chair and clutched her father's arm tightly.  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this pumpkin?" Craig asked, giving her a kiss on the forehead.  
  
Chloe nodded and stood up as straight as she could.  
  
"No matter how good God's intentions were, there is no way I am being pushed down the aisle on my wedding day."  
  
Craig chuckled softly, and through the bright beams of sunlight pouring in through the doors, all eyes were on Craig and Chloe as they stepped slowly into the chapel.  
  
Chloe met Brady's happy eyes and gave him a slight smile. Her hair was down in soft waves, some of her dark hair left to hang over her shoulders, pieces left framing her face. The promised ring of carnations stood out bright against her hair, and suddenly she was the same beautiful person that Brady had come to know and love.  
  
Brady watched in awe as Chloe walked slowly down the aisle, using her father as a support as she willed her legs to move. He could tell how hard it was for her to accomplish this task that may have seemed simple to all others. Upon reaching their destination, Craig kissed Chloe's flushed cheek and stepped back, allowing Brady to take her hand and help her stand.  
  
The reverend started by reading a passage from the bible then told the people before him to kneel. He could see how relieved Chloe was to take the pressure off of her legs. Brady mouthed the words "I love you" to Chloe as the reverend continued speaking, Chloe mouthing them back and smiling. Soon the reverend called upon the holder to bring forth the rings. Belle smacked Mimi's arm.  
  
"Oh, that's me!" Mimi said, snapping out of her trance and walking towards the reverend and holding out the rings. The reverend took them and held them in his hands, the people before him ready to exchange these tokens of their affection. Chloe already had tears rolling down her cheeks and Brady was having a hard time blinking back his. Then the reverend stopped and nodded his head towards Brady and Chloe.  
  
"This couple has chosen to write their own vows." He said, beckoning for them to take the reins and continue on with the ceremony.  
  
Brady gulped and looked at Chloe. The love he saw in her eyes gave him the reassurance that he needed and he started with his vows. Brady took Chloe's hand gently in his and held the rind ready to slip onto her finger.  
  
"Chloe," He started, feeling a tear roll down his cheek. "I don't know when it happened, but sometime in the course of my life I fell in love with you. It was the most unexpected thing, and when it struck me that I had deep feelings for you I didn't know what to think. My first instinct was to tell you, and that's exactly what I did. I don't regret telling you either, because by doing so I was able to provide you with a constant companion and was your guiding light through the toughest weeks of both of our lives. As we stand here before god, I want nothing more than to be with you every day forever, and starting right now, that is exactly what I plan on accomplishing. A wise person once told me that it didn't matter what others thought of you, and I must say that she was quite right. I did what I felt was right, going against the thoughts and wishes of many, and it got me here today. I love you Chloe Wesley, and I'm ready to spend the rest of my life with you."  
  
He slipped the shiny wedding band on the same finger as her diamond studded engagement ring and smiled at Chloe before she started with her vows, now taking his hand and holding up her ring.  
  
"Brady," She said, looking lovingly at him, "I don't know how long I have loved you, but I know it has been a very long time. I didn't care that I hardly even knew you. It was a strange feeling to have; yet I carried it with me everywhere. Then I started sneaking in here at night to ask god to send me a love potion, I remember the reverend walking in on me once raising my arms to the sky and yelling for a spell that would make Brady Black fall head over heels in love with me."  
  
She turned over to the reverend who was smiling fondly at the memory, the people sitting in the pews chuckling lightly. Brady grinned widely. That little tid-bit of information had not been shared with him until that day. Craig had remembered that moment too, and he gave a knowing glance to the reverend who had shared the event with him the following day.  
  
"When I found out about my illness, I really started thinking hard about what I wanted to do with my life. And that's when you happened, Brady. My prayers were answered and I had found someone who loved me for all that I was and I thank you for that. I don't know how I would have survived the past weeks without you; you're my rock. And now, I am as ready as I will ever be to marry you and start out life together. I will love you forever and always." Then she too slipped the ring onto his finger.  
  
By now the whole church was in tears and Mimi and Belle sobbed loudly from where they knelt. Isabella handed them each a tissue and held a finger to her lips, silencing them. Craig sat quietly in a pew in the front row, watching his daughter lovingly with tears in his eyes.  
  
The reverend stood up, and so did the entourage of the bride and groom. Brady helped Chloe to her feet.  
  
"Then, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. May I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Brady Black." Chloe and Brady were both smiling so widely that their faces hurt.  
  
"You may now kiss the bride."  
  
Cheers and claps erupted from the crowd as Brady kissed Chloe, then in one swift movement scooped her up in his arms and ran down the aisle. Belle and Mimi were sobbing on the floor.  
  
"I wanna get married…" Mimi wailed.  
  
"Me tooooo…"  
  
They froze when they saw the bouquet Chloe had been holding fly up into the air just as the newlyweds disappeared from the chapel. Then they both made a break for it, jumping up simultaneously yet missing the bouquet by a long shot. In stead, it landed in Phillip's lap. Mimi and Belle both made a dash for it, each catching one end of the bouquet and engaging in a tug-o-war.  
  
Outside, Brady set Chloe down gently in the white car they had rented out and shuffled in beside her, the clanking cans heard behind them as they drove off. 


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17  
  
A week later, Brady and Chloe set up married housing in a two-story penthouse. They had just returned from their honeymoon, a beautiful five- day trip that they had spent in Florida. Isabella had been a miracle worker to arrange the trip so quickly.  
  
So one day, while sitting down together on the couch, one of the few pieces of furniture which Chloe and Brady had in their new home, the television set turned to an early morning cartoon, Chloe became dizzy. She held her hand to her head trying to calm the intensifying wave that was sweeping through her. Brady turned to her with a concerned look on his face.  
  
"Chloe, what's wrong…" He said quietly, dreading what was coming.  
  
Chloe looked up at him, about to say something when her body suddenly went limp. She fell backwards onto the couch where she began twitching.  
  
"Oh my god!" Brady picked her up and ran out the door of the penthouse and drove her to the hospital. "Damn!" He yelled, stealing constant glances at his wife who was now completely unconscious in the seat beside him.  
  
***  
  
The doctor walked slowly out of the emergency room where Brady stood waiting anxiously for any news. He had not yet had a chance to call Craig for he was worried that the fear in his voice would have given him a heart attack.  
  
"What's happened, is she alright?" He asked, looking anxiously at the doctor.  
  
"Well, she has suffered quite a serious seizure. It has left her unconscious at the moment, and it is hard for her to breathe on her own. She will have to be put on a ventilator."  
  
"A ventilator?" Brady repeated in shock. "As in life support?"  
  
"That's exactly what it is, Mr. Black." The doctor nodded his head solemnly.  
  
"Damn it! The doctors gave her two months! Two months! It's barely been two weeks!" He cried in anger, looking at the closed door behind the doctor. "Let me in to see her now!"  
  
"I'm afraid we can't. She is in a very critical state. Yet we have found that the cancer is growing inside her bones, yet we don't know how much that will help us."  
  
"Damn! Damn you and this damn hospital! Why can't you help her?" Brady said, running his hands through his hair and looking up at the ceiling. The doctor shook his head slowly, a saddened expression on his face.  
  
"We would be as upset as you if we lost Chloe Wesley from our lives. She was a blessing to all of us." Then he turned and walked back into Chloe's room, closing the door with a soft click behind him.  
  
Brady turned around and walked back down the hallways in an effort to pass the time. He looked at the telephone sitting on the front desk. He moved towards it quietly and picked it up, dialing Craig's number.  
  
Craig was quite shocked when he heard the news and came straight over, yelling for a chance to see his daughter, but like Brady, he was turned down. Craig paced around the door, looking up every now and then at the angered features of his son-in-law. He too became quite angry, staying in the hospital until well past the visiting hours. The nurses urged them to leave, but was unsuccessful. The security did not even attempt it; this was a serious and sad time for everyone in the town. People in such a small town the likes of Salem didn't die every day. Especially when they had so much to live for.  
  
Finally, at eleven o'clock, they let the two men in to see Chloe. She was awake and very pale, her hair strewn over the pillow in limp strands. She looked wearily at them as they entered, giving them a week smile. Brady sat down next to her and took her hand gently in his. Craig sat silently at the foot of the bed.  
  
"Chloe honey, how are you feeling?" He asked softly, not knowing if he could contain the tears at the sight before him. His daughter had tubes in her arm and one in her neck, helping her breath. She was very pale and had dark circles forming under her eyes. Yet she kept her smile. That smile brightened all that was not right with the picture and made Craig want to cry even harder.  
  
Brady watched her silently as she spoke.  
  
"I am feeling pretty rotten daddy." She said honestly, her voice quiet and airy. "And it doesn't help that I have something stuck in my throat because it's very itchy. I guess I don't look to good either huh?" She said softly, trying to laugh but failing miserably as her giggles turned to coughs.  
  
"Chloe, you are beautiful, no matter what." Brady broke in, looking at her lovingly. She looked so fragile in the white hospital gown they had put her in, leaned up against the white pillows and blankets.  
  
Chloe smiled as best she could at the comment, but it hurt to smile. The seizure had left a serious, lasting affect on Chloe's body, and she felt next to paralyzed.  
  
Craig smiled and nodded his head.  
  
"We're going to get through this pumpkin." Then he turned to Brady. "I'm going to leave you here alone with her alright son? I need to finish up and article at home. Now you take care of him for me now won't you pumpkin?" He said, smiling at Chloe. Chloe nodded her head.  
  
"I love you daddy." She grinned for a split second, after that having to return her grin to the small smile she had decided to keep on her face.  
  
Craig stepped out of the room and down the hallway, out the doors and home.  
  
***  
  
At his house, he sat down quietly at his desk and continued with the follow up article he had decided to do on "The life and times of Sir Reginald Hemsby." He opened up the textbook he had sitting on his desk and resumed reading it.  
  
"Sir Hemsby, upon receiving his degree in the human sciences and continuing on to be awarded his P.H.D, he started work at the first hospital of Salem in 1922, the town which he had discovered at the age of twenty-two."  
  
'Wow, that was not too long ago…' Craig thought, stopping after the sentence. Then he continued on.  
  
"He became one of the most well-known and most respected doctors in the city. Yet he wanted much more than to just be a good doctor. He wanted to find cures for the most serious illnesses that plagued the people of Salem. He set to work straight away, raising money for his research. He went through vast expenditures on equipment and tools to work through his studies. After years of research, the only thing he was able to share was that the rare strand of leukemia 'masilis corosivniallis', the patient, even in the worst state possible, can be sent into remission with a successful bone marrow transplant in which the marrow is matching his or her own. Yet he was still running tests when he mysteriously died one night while he conducted a study, his fellow researchers finding him dead the following morning. His grave was small, for most of the towns funds were dispensed on the in-depth studies of Sir Hemsby, no one wanting to donate any more than they already had. His body lies peacefully in the main cemetery of the town of Salem."  
  
Craig sighed and turned back to his page that was half full of facts about the man. Then his eyes wandered curiously back to the textbook lying open on his desk. He focused in on the sentence that caught his eye.  
  
"After years of research, the only thing he was able to share was that a rare strand of leukemia 'masilis corosivniallis', the patient, even in the worst state possible, can be sent into remission with a successful bone marrow transplant in which the marrow is matching his or her own."  
  
He gasped. "Masilis corosivniallis, masilis corosivniallis…" He repeated the name again and again. Then it hit him all of a sudden, right between the eyes.  
  
Masilis corosivniallis was the strand of leukemia that was threatening to pull his daughter out of his life forever.  
  
  
  
*For anyone who has a P.H.D., I made the name 'masilis corosivniallis' up. Sorry if I confused you or if I just looked like an idiot who pretended to know what she was talking about. 


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18  
  
Craig grabbed the textbook and drove quickly back to the hospital, bursting noisily into the ward where Chloe was staying and flailing the book madly in the air.  
  
"Doctor Warner, doctor Warner!" He yelled at the figure of a man down the hall a ways from him. "Please, you must see what I have found!"  
  
The doctor turned around, startled, and walked silently to the man with an expression of anger on his face. He was about to lash out at Mr. Wesley for being so loud in the small hospital full of patients, but stopped instead when he saw the book he was holding. Craig pointed to the small paragraph about Sir Reginald Hemsby and nudged the doctor to read it.  
  
Doctor Warner read it slowly, his brow furrowed. His expression turned to that of great surprise when he read what they had written about his findings.  
  
"Please, it's our only hope!" Craig cried, exasperated.  
  
The doctor looked at him and nodded his head slowly.  
  
"We must first see if we have a match."  
  
He led Craig into a small operating room and told him to lie on his back as he took a small sample of his bone marrow from his spine after giving him a dosage of morphine to keep him from feeling any pain.  
  
He walked quickly to the small room where Brady sat with Chloe and asked for him to step outside for a moment. Brady did as he was told, kissing Chloe lightly on the forehead before disembarking. He sat outside with Craig as he explained what he had read in the textbook.  
  
Around twenty minutes later, Doctor Warner emerged from Chloe's bedroom with his second sample, disappearing down the stair to the labs.  
  
Brady and Craig stepped back into Chloe's room, where she was asleep again. It was mandatory that the doctor give her heavy pain medicine for the already excruciating pain of having a needle stuck in your spine was tripled when your marrow was diseased. Yet now she seemed to be in a more relaxed state, a soft smile on her lips as she dreamt peacefully, feeling no pain from the killer illness advancing upon her.  
  
It wasn't until later that day that the doctor reappeared on that floor, walking slowly into Chloe's room.  
  
He motioned for Craig to step into the hallway for a moment.  
  
"No match." The doctor said simply, shaking his head. Craig's hopes of keeping his daughter crashed and burned at that moment.  
  
"Does she have any other relatives that may have a match?"  
  
"Her mother…" Craig said slowly, thinking that perhaps Nancy might hold the key to saving Chloe's life.  
  
The doctor shook his head.  
  
"I doubt it. This is a very rare type that your Chloe possess, she seems to be unique in every way possible."  
  
Craig thought hard. Then he jumped up, hitting his forehead with his hand.  
  
"She has a twin brother!" He said breathlessly.  
  
The doctor's eyes lit up, and a smile spread across his face. "Where is he?"  
  
Craig stopped. He was still in New York. "He's not in Salem…" He said slowly, then ran off down the hall to the main desk where the receptionist sat quietly filing her nails.  
  
He picked up the phone and dialed the number to Nancy's apartment in New York and waited restlessly for someone to pick up. It rang once, then twice…On the third ring, he heard the perky voice of Nancy Lane speak up on the end of the line.  
  
"Hello?" She asked sweetly into the phone.  
  
"Nancy! It's Craig."  
  
"Craig! I told you not to call here!" She yelled, her perkiness disappearing from her voice.  
  
"Nancy, you listen to me! This is an emergency! You have to get Shawn down here immediately! I mean now!"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Just do it Nancy! This is a matter of life and death!" He roared, unable to control his emotions. Nancy now controlled if his daughter lived or died. Yet the fear in his voice must have convinced her because she and Shawn were on the next plane over to Salem.  
  
***  
  
As soon as he arrived in Salem, Shawn was met by his overly anxious father and rushed immediately to the hospital. Shawn was thoroughly oblivious as to what was going on and looked around in confusion as his father rushed him into the operation ward of the hospital.  
  
"Shawn! Ok son, just trust me on this. We need a sample of your bone marrow." Craig said, holding his shoulders and looking straight at him. Shawn nodded his head, the determination in his father's voice assuring him that this was something that he had to do.  
  
The doctor took the sample and rushed away to the labs. While he was gone, Brady and Craig explained the whole story to Nancy and Shawn as they sat in shocked silence. After that had been cleared out of the way, Craig led Shawn in to see his sister. She was awake now and sitting up in bed. The sight of her made Shawn's face overflow with tears.  
  
"Shawn?" She asked quietly, squinting at him. "Is that you?"  
  
Shawn moved closer to her and took a seat by her side.  
  
"It's me Chloe!" He said, holding her hand. Chloe gave him a genuine smile.  
  
"What are you waiting for! Give me a hug!" Chloe cried, and Shawn hugged her, making sure not to hurt her in her fragile state. As they pulled apart, Chloe went on about how much she had missed him, and Shawn said the feeling was mutual. After that, they talked for a while, Shawn telling Chloe more of Jamie-Lynn and his life in the city.  
  
Nancy sat outside as tears streamed endlessly down her cheeks.  
  
"My daughter is dying?" She said in disbelief, looking up at Craig. Craig nodded his head slowly.  
  
"And she got married without inviting me to her wedding?" Craig gave Nancy a strange look. Nancy sighed. "I guess she wouldn't want me at her wedding."  
  
Craig sat down beside her and took her hand.  
  
"Nancy, you haven't exactly been the ideal mother, but Chloe still loves you. She may not have invited you to her wedding because it was a critical point in her life and maybe she just harbored ill feeling towards you.  
  
"Can I see her now?" She sniffed, wiping her tears with a tissue before they fell onto her designer jacket.  
  
Craig nodded and led her into the room where Shawn sat with Chloe. The sight of Chloe made Nancy burst out crying too. There was just something about seeing the usually bright Chloe looking so frail on the bed that tugged at everyone's heartstrings.  
  
Shawn left Chloe alone with Nancy and headed back into the hallway with his father just as Doctor Warner cam rushing back upstairs from the lab.  
  
"We have a match!" 


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19  
  
The operation was held as soon as possible. Shawn agreed to give a large quantity of his marrow to his sister without a second thought.  
  
He lay quietly in one of the white hospital gown he had been given at the time of his operation in Chloe's room, which was currently unoccupied. He couldn't move very much, and when they had taken Chloe down to the operation room after they had taken the marrow from Shawn, they had left him on Chloe's bed to rest. He was very weary and soon fell asleep.  
  
Downstairs, the operation took a full six hours. They had to remove all of the cancerous cells before they could put in the healthy marrow. Craig, Nancy and Brady sat anxiously outside the room, Brady ripping a pamphlet on how to cure yourself of arachnophobia to little shreds on his lap in a way to pass the time and ease his nervousness.  
  
When the operation was finally complete, the doctors moved Chloe to the recovery room where she was not permitted any visitors until the affects of the drugs wore off her. She would be in pain once she woke up, and quite drained, but the operation had been completed successfully. Now all they could do was wait and see.  
  
Many hours after the operation, the doctors rolled a semi-conscious Chloe back to her room and placed her bed next to Shawn's, where he was wide awake, staring at the ceiling and waiting for his sister's return. The visitors where allowed in to see Chloe, but were given special order not to be too noisy and allow Chloe her rest. And that is exactly what they did, all just thoroughly relieved that the transplant had been completed successfully. They all slept in the waiting room, the doctors allowing Brady to stay sleeping in the chair next to Chloe. In the morning, they all returned and kept a watchful eye on Chloe. Shawn was able to walk around again, and he sat at the edge of Chloe's bed, waiting for any sign that she may be coming around.  
  
The signs came soon, and by noon, she was able to breathe on her own and taken off of the ventilator. At exactly 2:47 that afternoon, Chloe's eyes flickered open and she looked at the people before her, it taking her a moment to realize where she was. She smiled slightly, the color quickly returning to her cheeks. Brady was elated to see his wife awake again and he kissed her gently on the lips, then stood back, allowing everyone else to greet her.  
  
Chloe stayed in the hospital for two more weeks, her vital signs and former appearance returning to normal with each passing day. At the end of a one month period, after having been at home with Brady for a couple weeks, there had not been any relapses. She was successfully in remission.  
  
A year later, Mimi and Belle, both pregnant, came to visit an even more pregnant Chloe every afternoon for tea and a daily dosage of "I love Lucy" and "I Dream of Genie." They had become the closest friends over the past year, and if you had asked them, they would have honestly admitted that they never thought they would ever be this close. Chloe's experience had changed he lives of everyone in that town, and they grew to appreciate the simpler things in life. Craig and Nancy remarried six months after Chloe went into remission, both regretting having ever split up in the first place. As for Shawn, Jamie-Lynn and her family moved to the quiet town of Salem, the couple now engaged to be wed.  
  
Chloe went back to high school and, already being ahead of the class, was able to finish her courses and graduate in two months. She now wrote for the paper as well, working with her dad who was now the editor of the Salem Times.  
  
One night, while sitting to a quiet dinner with her four closest friends and loving husband, she started having sharp cramps. She clutched her sides, gritting her teeth.  
  
"Oh my god Brady! It's time!" She said, inhaling and exhaling quickly. Brady's eyes widened along with the rest of the people at the table and he jumped up quickly, taking Chloe's hand and rushing out of the restaurant in a hurry. Belle, Phillip, Mimi and Jason followed closely behind Brady's car.  
  
As soon as Nancy and Craig heard that she had gone into labor, they quickly made their way to the hospital with Shawn and Jamie-Lynn.  
  
That night, Brady and Chloe's daughter was born, dubbed Lauren Isabelle (after Belle and Isabella) Wesley Black. Chloe was so relived to have the baby flushed from her system that she insisted everyone come into her room to have a look at her newborn child. It was one of Chloe and Brady's happiest moments of their life together.  
  
And so, with much laughter and love, they lived happily ever after. 


	21. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
I put my pen down now, and lean up comfortably against this tall willow tree. If you have not already guess edit, I am Lauren Black. Brady and Chloe were my parents, and this was the story they had told me when I first fell in love with my husband Jack.  
  
I often wonder if there could not be a greater love than the one that my parents shared. I think how much it must have taken out of my father to see Chloe waste away slowly before him, and then I think of all the happy time they had shared. At seventeen, my mother married, and she had never once regretted it. The life she lived with Brady Black was more than she would ever have hoped for, and she always referred to him as the "Black" knight in shining armor who had swept her off her feet.  
  
Today, they are no longer with me, but I can still feel their presence all around me here in their special little haven. It is where they first kissed, where my father proposed, even where my mother first broke the news that she was pregnant. This is their place, and always will be as their memory lives on through me and my children.  
  
I can only hope that someday, I can amount to what they have amounted to, two great people, one special life time that has changed and brought happiness, pain, love and joy to the lives of the many that they touched.  
  
Brady Black and Chloe Wesley, I cannot stop talking of them! They were my modern Romeo and Juliette story, one of the beloved stories the grandparents like to tell their grandchildren when they first experience dating.  
  
And now, again, I look back upon the very first page I wrote and fall across the word forever. And I hope you can see that this story was about a love that lasted forever. It still goes on today. It has left an everlasting impression on me and everyone in Salem, and I can only wish that when I leave this lifetime and pass on to my next, I will leave behind a story for my daughter to look back upon and stop to think that maybe one day, she too will find a great love and live happily ever after. 


End file.
